


They Ain't You

by Trigger Finger (NatashaCole)



Category: Supernatural RPF, The Station Breaks RPF
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Language, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-09-24
Packaged: 2019-07-17 06:10:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 26,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16089677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatashaCole/pseuds/Trigger%20Finger
Summary: Rob’s got a reputation. He’s an actor, a rock star, and the ultimate bachelor. He’s also a ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em’ type of guy who takes pride in being single and being able to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, with whomever he wants.He quickly sets his sights on Jason’s childhood friend when she joins them on tour; much to Jason’s dismay. Reader is supposed to be another fun conquest for him; but, she is not at all what he expected.





	1. Part 1

“Jason!” You exclaimed as you approached your friend. He grinned at you, wrapping his arms around you to pull you in for a hug that ended with him lifting you off the ground as you giggled. It had been a long time since you had seen him, and he had called you earlier in the week to check in on you since you had just moved to L.A.

Tonight, you were at a local club, ready to perform for the first time since you had moved to the city. Jason’s phone call to you had been mostly to see if you’d be interested in opening for his band, The Station Breaks.

“It’s been too long,” he beamed as he put you back on the ground finally.

“It really has,” you agreed. “Thank you so much for letting me do this by the way. It’s not as easy as it looks to get gigs around here.”

“Are you kidding? You’re amazing and you’ll be getting even better gigs before you know it.”

“Thanks. But, I’m excited to see your band play. I have the album, it’s fantastic. You guys are great.”

“Thanks,” he replied. “Hey, you should come meet the guys. Although, I feel like I should warn you about Rob first…”

“Oh? I’m being warned before I even get the chance to meet him?”

“It’s just, you’re exactly his type and he sort of has a reputation,” Jason explained as you followed him. “Just- don’t be too surprised when he hits on you; and don’t fall for it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you chuckled.

When you finally reached the green room of the club, you were greeted by a group of men, all who looked right up at you as you walked in.

“Hey guys,” Jason began, “this is Y/N, the girl I was telling you about. She’s opening for us and she’s fantastic.”

You waved shyly to the men, scanning the space as you were introduced to each of them. You tried hard to connect names with faces and you weren’t sure if you could keep up with all of this. Before Jason could introduce you to the last man, he was already standing up to approach you.

“Hey,” the man said as he smiled at you. He reached out a hand and you slowly took it, breath catching as he took a firm hold of it. “I’m Rob.”

“Y/N,” you responded. You could already feel your face heat up and you just hoped it wasn’t noticeable. Jason warned you about this guy, but he didn’t warn you about how attractive he was. He looked at you with bright blue eyes, crinkles forming in the corners as he smiled hard at you. That smile… you had never been so taken aback by someone’s smile before, but his was infectious.

“I’ve heard a little bit about you,” he said. “Apparently Jason is less of a gentleman than we all thought. He never told me that he had such a beautiful and talented childhood friend.”

“Oh, well, I don’t know about all of that. But, it has been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

“Yeah, buddy,” Jason cut in, “there’s a reason I never mentioned her.”

“You trying to keep her all to yourself?” Rob asked, not taking his eyes off of you. You should have felt uncomfortable in the moment, but you were certainly already intrigued by him.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Jason pointed out. He made a point of grabbing Rob’s hand to remove the grip that he still had on yours.

“I didn’t say she was. Just wondering why you’ve neglected to mention her.”

“Because she’s off-limits,” he replied sternly.

“What do you mean?”

“You know damn well what I mean,” Jason replied as he held Rob’s stare.

Your eyes darted back and forth between the two men. This exchange wasn’t unusual. Jason had always been like a protective older brother to you, you had witnessed him telling guys to back off when it came to you on countless occasions. Even after all this time, nothing had changed. You couldn’t help but smile as you watched their exchange.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rob argued.

“Okay, look,” you began, trying to ease the tension of the moment, “this whole alpha-male thing is flattering and all, but can you two stop? We’ve got a show to do.”

“Of course,” Jason smiled as he turned to you. “Your first L.A. show. It’s a big deal.”

“Thank you,” you said. “Now if you don’t mind, I’ve got to open for you guys.”

You turned to leave the room, already feeling the nerves start. It wasn’t the first time you’d ever performed in front of people, but it was a new city and it was your first time singing with Jason there in a long time. Also, you may have been slightly thrown off by Rob, who had caught your eye for some reason. If you weren’t mistaken, you might have caught his too. Jason’s words replayed in your mind though. Apparently Rob was a player and everyone knew it. Even this knowledge didn’t sway you from thinking about how attractive he was. It wasn’t beyond you to partake in exactly the same things that Jason was accusing Rob of. There had definitely been a few men that you had simply hooked up with just for the sake of doing it. You felt sort of bad that Jason was making such a big deal out of Rob being the same way with women.

However, Jason held you to very high standards and thought the world of you. He was practically your older brother, and you assumed that he couldn’t imagine you being anything but sweet and innocent. That wasn’t an image that you wanted to destroy in his mind.

You got yourself set up on stage, slinging your guitar over your body as you leaned into the microphone.

“Hi everyone. Thanks for coming out tonight. I’m Y/N and I’m opening for a little band called The Station Breaks.” You paused while the audience applauded. “So, I’ll make this set short and sweet so you can all hear who you really came here for.”

You took a moment to make sure you were still tuned and addressed the audience again.

You started to strum and went into your first song.

The entire time on stage, you gave it your all. You had a lot of people to try to impress tonight. First of all, there was the audience; and then there was Jason and his band. Jason had mentioned the possibility of working with you somehow, and you knew you had to show that you were good at what you did to earn that opportunity.

You played a short set of songs, feeling less nervous as the audience cheered after each one and gave you their attention during the set. You didn’t know what Jason was thinking, and you only noticed him and the guys standing in the back of the room, watching from afar.

When you finished your last song, you felt a weight lift off of you. Not only had you done really well and the audience agreed, it had been extremely cathartic to play these songs finally. Leaving home and moving to the city had been a huge and stressful step for you, and right now, you felt more at ease over the decision.

“Y/N!” Jason exclaimed as he pulled you in for another bear hug after you left the stage. “You are so good, you amaze me more and more with what you can do with that voice.”

“Thank you,” you giggled.

“Listen, we gotta go set up,” he continued, “but we are definitely talking about that set when the show is over.”

Jason squeezed your arm as he moved past you toward the stage. You stood there, smiling stupidly at how good you felt right now. You decided you needed a drink to come down from your high while you watched his band play. Before you could make your way to the bar, Rob had found you, passing over a drink to you with a smile.

“Do you drink beer?” He asked.

“I can handle that. Thank you.” You took the bottle from him and took a long sip as you eyed him. Yes, he was definitely good looking and you could really get used to looking at him now that Jason had finally introduced you.

“You were really great up there,” he said. “Jason never said that you had a voice like that.”

“Well, I think I surprised even him.”

“You write those songs?”

“I did. I even play my own guitar,” you joked.

“Wow, multi-talented.”

“Well, you too,” you replied. “Really, I’ve heard the album and I love it. You’ve really got a way with words.”

“As do you.”

“Don’t you have a set to get ready for?”

“Probably,” he replied as he stared off to the stage where the other guys were busy working. “I could just let them do it so I can talk to you longer.”

“I’m flattered, but I promise I’ll be here after.”

“Alright,” he chuckled. “We’ll talk after.”

You nodded as he looked at you for a moment. You saw him bite his lip before taking another drink of his beer and before you could speak again, he was heading to the stage. You found a seat at a table where you could watch from and you made yourself comfortable as the band started.

* * *

During the set, you had been smiling and singing along, swaying in your seat and generally amazed at how great they were live. It didn’t surprise you with Jason, you had known him for years, but the entire band held up well. You didn’t want to admit to yourself that maybe you had been watching Rob the entire time; entranced by his voice and the way he moved on stage. He was an emotional singer, and you felt that you understood him as a songwriter a little better now that you were watching him perform.

When the band wrapped up and bounded offstage, you waited for them as they were surrounded by fans asking for pictures. You smiled at how friendly they were and how they paid attention to each fan.

When the crowd died down, Jason made his way to you.

“Wow, you talk about me up there, but you guys are really good,” you said as he took a seat across from you.

“You enjoyed it?”

“Yeah,” you replied. “You and Rob sound great together. The entire band is amazing.”

“Well, I think we all had a really successful night.” Rob chimed in out of nowhere, standing next to you as Jason rolled his eyes at him.

“Yeah, we really did,” you agreed. You smirked at Jason, knowing full well that he didn’t like the idea of Rob talking to you. You on the other hand found it to be flattering to have the attention of this man, even if he might not have such a good reputation.

“Let’s celebrate,” Rob added. “We’ve also got business to discuss.”

“What business?” You asked.

“Nothing,” Jason assured you, “we just had some thoughts on a tour that we’ve got coming up.”

“You guys are going on tour? That’s exciting.”

“Yeah, just a short east coast thing. Actually, that’s why I asked you to come tonight. We’re looking for someone to take with us and I have to say, I think you impressed everyone.”

“You want me to tour with you?”

“Well, we gotta discuss it, but I think that’s the idea.”

Billy was in charge of getting everyone drinks as you and the band sat around the table together. Jason and Rob took turns explaining the tour that they had planned and what it would entail. It all seemed easy enough, and fun. You would go to New York to play a bunch of shows and that would be it. There were no long rehearsal schedules and the entire thing seemed pretty relaxed.

“We’re just always looking for someone new to add as an opener,” Rob explained. “And I think you’d fit right in. People will love you.”

“So, what do you think?” Jason asked.

“Are you kidding?” You laughed as you gained a moment to let it all sink in. “I think it sounds great.”

“So, you’d do it?” Rob asked.

“Hell yeah I’ll do it.”

“Perfect. We’ll get all the details sorted later, but welcome to the tour.”

You drank for some time with the guys, laughing and talking and getting to know them each better. Rob offered you a lot of his time, which you gladly accepted. You enjoyed talking to him and you liked looking at him.

“So, what brings you to L.A.?” Rob asked as the two of you sat next to each other, alone now as the other guys had wandered off.

“Uh, well. I guess just being able to play music. I wasn’t really having a lot of luck back home, figured something new would help. Why not L.A.?”

“Well, I’m glad you chose this city,” He replied with a sly smile.

“You are?” you asked with a grin. “Why would you be so glad? You don’t even know me.”

“No, but I could.”

“Just for the record, Jason told me to avoid you.” You pointed out. You were curious as to what Rob thought of that. You were also curious as to exactly what kind of player he was. Jason made a big deal out of it, you figured it must go beyond just the occasional hook-up with strangers at the bar.

“Now, why would he do that?” Rob replied. He smirked, not looking too surprised that Jason had possibly warned you about him.

“You know, I’m not really sure. You seem like a nice enough guy.”

Rob shrugged, still grinning at you as he continued to stare. “I’m all for the idea of you coming to that conclusion on your own.”

“I wonder if you say that to all the ladies, and I wonder what their conclusions of you are in the end.”

Rob looked as if he had definitely been caught. He chuckled and turned his eyes from you.

“Well, I wouldn’t suggest asking any of them.”

“I won’t. Jason seems to have enough to say about you anyway.”

“Yeah, some friend he turned out to be,” Rob smiled.

“He’s looking out for me. He always has. I think he warns me about every man who’s ever shown interest.”

“You think I’m interested?” He asked slyly.

“Oh, I know you are,” you replied confidently. “I know your type.”

“I could say the same for you.”

“So, you think you know my type?”

“Hmm,” he hummed. “I’m still trying to figure you out actually.”

“Relax, we’ve only just met.”

“You know, Jason talked about you tonight as if you’re this sweet and innocent girl from back home, and I see that when I look at you. But, why am I getting something different from you?”

“He really talks me up, doesn’t he,” you said as you internally cringed. You knew that the man had only good things to say about you, but even you were embarrassed at the way he seemed to describe you to his friends.

“You have no idea. By the way, he also has told me repeatedly to avoid you.”

“I’m assuming he’s telling us to avoid each other for very different reasons.”

“Yeah. Maybe I do have a reputation,” he smirked. “But something tells me that you might have a side to you that even Jason doesn’t know about.”

You smirked in return, pleased that Rob seemed to have caught on to you quickly. It wasn’t something that you threw out there. You enjoyed the idea of having a bit of mystery to yourself.

“Maybe you’re not wrong,” you flirted.

“Would it be too forward of me to say that I would really like to find out?”

“Trust me, you being forward is nothing that I can’t handle.”

“I think we need more drinks,” he said, his eyes never leaving yours.

“I agree.”

When Rob was at a safe distance from you, it didn’t surprise you when Jason approached. You had noticed his stares the entire time and were only waiting for the moment when he would cut into the nice conversation you were having with Rob. You appreciated that he had stayed out of it while the two of you flirted heavily back and forth, but you knew what was coming the second Jason joined you at the table now that Rob had stepped away.

“Y/N,” Jason began as he sat across from you. “If Rob gets out of line with you, just let me know.”

“I can handle myself. He’s fine.”

“He’s hitting on you a lot already, even though I told him not to.”

“He seems like the kind of guy who would do the exact opposite of what anyone tells him to do.”

“You’re not wrong about that,” he said as he stared off. “He’s just- not the nicest guy when it comes to women.”

“What do you mean? He’s been very nice to me.”

“Well, he’s being nice because he’s trying to get in your pants.”

You grinned at him, wondering if you should keep up with the innocent act or if you should tell him to back off.

“Relax, I can handle it. Besides, it’s kind of flattering. He’s cute.”

Jason frowned at you. “Don’t let the cute act fool you. He’s kind of a dick.”

“You talk about all your friends like that?”

“Only the ones who actually are like that.”

“I appreciate that even after all these years you still try to protect me. But I don’t think I need protection from him.”

“That’s because you don’t know him.”

“What if I said I’d like to get to know him?”

“Then I’ll just tell you to be careful,” he replied.

Before you could respond to his concerns, the two of you noticed that Rob was already headed back with drinks. You turned and smiled at Jason, giving him the look that you always gave to him when you wanted him to leave.

He took your hint and stood up.

“It’s great that you’re making friends with the guys so easily,” he continued. “But, just don’t let that one get too friendly. You’ll regret it.”

“Thanks, dad,” You said sarcastically as you watched him walk away finally.

You turned your attention back to Rob as he rejoined you.

“I’m not even gonna ask what that was all about,” he said as he nodded in Jason’s direction.

“You probably don’t want to know,” you insisted.

“I’m sure it was nothing that he hasn’t already said to my face.”

“So, how are the two of you such good friends when all he ever does is talk shit about you?”

“He generally just gives me a hard time,” Rob replied. “I gotta say, I think I’m pissing him off now that I’m interested in you.”

“So you are interested?” You asked, grinning slightly at him before taking a drink.

“Okay, so I am,” he shrugged. “But something tells me that you might be as well.”

“Or maybe I just like to make men think that I’m interested,” you answered playfully.

“You don’t strike me as the kind of girl who plays games.”

“You’ve got a lot to learn then.”

* * *

You considered heeding Jason’s warnings about this man. After all, it had been a long time since you had engaged in a fling. But even those warnings didn’t stop you from realizing that you were attracted to Rob right away. You knew he was flirting and everything in you told you to flirt right back. Although you thought you had given up that part of your life some time ago, you wondered if you could be willing to slip back into your old ways if it meant that Rob got to be your conquest. Something told you that he wouldn’t object to it.

You continued to drink and chat with Rob, realizing that you actually enjoyed his company. After you had your fill for the night and were slightly buzzed, you decided to head home. It was late and the guys didn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. You excused yourself from another discussion with Rob, letting him know that you were done for the night. Instead of trying to talk you into staying, he politely offered walked you out.

When you made it outside, you said goodbye to him and turned to leave. You had maybe gotten a few feet away when he called after you.

“Hey, I know you’re new to the city, so if you want, I can show you around sometime.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” you said as you turned back to face him. His offer was no surprise, and perhaps you felt a hint of interest in taking him up on it, but you decided to see if you could still play the game the way you had in the past. You also wanted to know if Rob would be the kind of guy to play along.

“Okay, what exactly did Jason say about me?”

“Just that you’ve got a reputation. And, I should maybe stay away from you. That’s it.”

“Of course he did,” Rob laughed. “Look, I am actually a pretty nice guy.”

“I don’t doubt it,” you smiled.

“So… we can hang out soon. I can take you around the city, show you a good time.”

“A good time, huh?” You laughed. “Yeah, I bet you could.”

You were sure that you were making it obvious that you were considering. Not so much the idea of him showing you around; but it had been his last statement that drew you in. You regained your composure when you realized that you weren’t willing to give into this one so easily.

“I’ll see you in a few weeks,” you added as you turned your back to him and started walking.

You were intrigued by the man, and maybe very interested in him, but you also understood the type of guy that he was. Not one to let someone get the best of you, you felt it necessary to step up your own game and play hard to get. You generally went for guys who weren’t so forward and you enjoyed the ones who didn’t even see you coming. But, Rob was certainly a lot like you in more obvious ways. You also very much wanted to know if you could play the game with someone who seemed to be your equal on the field. This one could be fun.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3 weeks later; Reader travels with the band to the east coast. The attraction between her and Rob is still very present; which leads to a kiss that leaves her wanting more. It’s not easy to be discreet when you’re stuck in a house with five men though.

You spent the next few weeks getting to know the city a bit more. You considered taking Rob up on his offer to show you around, but thought better of it after Jason chose to continuously make a point of letting you know that you should avoid him if you could. It wasn’t easy to enjoy much when you had him breathing down your neck anyway. Also, you really wanted to see if you could hold Rob’s interest while you played your little game.

During the week prior to the start of the tour, everyone got a little more serious as all of you met up occasionally to plan more and discuss things. Those nights were spent at local bars where the conversations would start off meaningful and eventually turning into jokes and drunkenness. Every meeting ended with Rob still hitting on you and Jason intervening before you even had a chance to flirt back. 

You constantly teased Jason, reminding him that he was the one putting you directly in Rob’s path even if he was trying so hard to keep him away from you. None of it was a concern of yours though. You didn’t care that Jason had slipped back into this protective mode, and you really didn’t care if he was right about Rob. The way you saw it, there was nothing wrong with the man showing a bit of interest in you, especially since you were very interested in him yourself.

* * *

You had met Jason at the airport the day you were all set to fly out for the tour. Your nerves were in overdrive, not really from the excitement of the tour, more from the anxiety over flying.

“You’ll be fine,” Jason promised. “I’ll be right with you the entire time.”

“Is that supposed to relax me?” You asked. “You’re almost as bad at flying as I am.”

“Well, we’ll have each other then.”

“Is someone afraid of flying?” Billy asked as he made his way to you and Jason. He must have caught the tail end of the conversation.

“I’ve seen Y/N faint on a plane before,” Jason replied. “She’s terrified.”

“Thanks for reminding me,” you frowned as you remembered what had been the worst flight of your life.

“You’re not sitting next to this guy, are you?” He asked as he pointed to Jason. “I can’t even sit next to him and I’m okay with flying.”

“Hey, I think I can be calming,” Jason argued.

“Let her sit next to Rob,” Billy replied.

You noticed as Jason’s face dropped into a frown. Why it was such a big deal for him to keep Rob away from you, you’d never fully understand.

“Why Rob?” You asked.

“Rob’s a seasoned flier,” Billy explained as he turned to you. “Seriously, you want to stay calm on a plane, he’s your guy.”

You turned back to Jason and gave him a look as if to tell him that he had just been ditched by you. You’d rather take a chance sitting next to someone you hardly knew who was apparently calm on a plane rather than your friend who usually made your anxiety even worse.

* * *

You boarded the plane after the guys, glancing around until you spotted Rob. You had hoped you’d get the chance to sit with him and you smiled to yourself when you did spot him. He returned your smile and patted the empty seat next to him. You quickly shoved your bag into the overhead compartment and took the seat next to him.

“I saved you a seat,” he said. “Billy mentioned that you might be afraid of flying.”

“He said you’re calming.”

“I’ve been told,” he laughed.

“Anything is better than sitting next to Jason on a long flight.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“No, but, he makes me extra nervous; and I really don’t want to sit there and listen to him tell me why I need to stay away from you.”

“Is he still on about that?” Rob frowned.

You let out a nervous laugh, still not over the idea that you were about to be thousands of feet up in the air soon.

“I don’t think he’ll ever quit,” you said honestly. If you knew Jason, and you did, he would never stop trying to keep you away from sleazy guys, even if they were his friends.

The take off had been nerve wracking enough, it always was for you. You tried not to act completely terrified in front of Rob, but even he chuckled when he noticed you gripping the armrest of your seat. It was usually about the takeoff and the landing for you. Actually being in the air wasn’t too bad. Still, you managed to stay on edge even then.

You and Rob carried on a conversation for some time. He asked you a lot about yourself, almost as if he were actually trying to get to know you. You scoffed at the thought of Jason and how he had been so insistent that Rob was the kind of guy just looking to hook up with a girl. You had met your fair share of men like that; hell, you were that type of person yourself in some ways. Right now, you didn’t get that vibe from him at all. You felt as if you were sitting with someone who was genuine and actually interested in you as a person.

You were in the middle of listening to him talk about how he managed to balance his music career and acting career when the turbulence hit. You sucked in a breath and immediately closed your eyes, no longer interested in what he had to say. Right now, you were taken over by nerves as the only thing running through your mind was the worst case scenarios.

“Are you okay?” Rob asked. You could hear the concern in his voice as you immediately tensed up. You hoped that it would just be a quick spot of turbulence, but of course you wouldn’t be so lucky.

“I’m fine,” you stated sharply. You could already feel yourself start to sweat, your stomach turning as you tried to steady your breathing.

“It’s just a little turbulence,” he said with a chuckle.

“I know what it is,” you spat.

“You weren’t kidding about being a nervous flyer.”

“Will you please just stop talking,” you said softly as you closed your eyes, focusing on slowing your breathing now.

“Sure,” he replied. You leaned back, taking deep breaths as slowly as you could. You kept your eyes closed as the plane continued to rock from the turbulence. Suddenly, you felt a hand on your own hand that was tightly gripping the armrest between you and Rob. You opened your eyes just enough to look over at him and he smiled at you, letting his thumb stroke along the back of your hand. You didn’t know why, but the movement was somewhat calming. You loosened your grip on the arm rest and hesitantly turned your hand over, wondering how he would react to it. He wasted no time in interlacing his fingers with yours. You allowed yourself to hold his hand; already noticing that your heart rate had slowed and you were now a lot less sweaty. You began to breathe normally, but you still closed your eyes and leaned back, Rob not once letting go of your hand.

When the turbulence ended after what seemed like an eternity, you calmed down. Rob still hadn’t let go of your hand, so you loosened your grip and awkwardly pulled away from him.

“I’m sorry,” you began. “That was weird.”

“What? The fact that you nearly passed out on a plane? Or that we held hands?”

“Well, both,” you smiled. “Thank you though, I felt a lot better just having you there.”

“No problem,” he shrugged. “I’m a good flyer. I’m told I’m relaxing.”

“You are,” you agreed. “Now I just have to figure out a way to have you next to me every time I fly.”

* * *

You had almost expected to arrive at a hotel when you made it to New York. To your surprise, whoever had organized this tour had rented the six of you a house instead. You had to admit, you weren’t used to being so spoiled in your experience as a musician.

You had been allowed to choose a room first. Although these guys were quintessential musicians who drank a lot and behaved like frat guys, they were still gentlemen who made sure the lady got first pick.

“I can’t say we’ve ever had a woman on a full tour with us,” Jason had pointed out.

“Yeah, forgive us if we’re offensive and act like idiots,” Billy added.

“It’s fine,” you smiled. “I have brothers, and I’ve known Jason since we were kids. There’s nothing that you could do that would surprise me. Honestly, just- treat me as if I’m one of the guys.”

“Oh, we could never do that,” Rob replied. “You get special treatment.”

“Well, thanks for letting me pick the first room.”

“It’s the least we could do,” Jason said. “You gotta put up with us for five days.”

“Now, we have to decide who gets the dungeon,” Billy said with a grin. He looked toward the other men with joy in his eyes as he pulled out his phone.

“The dungeon?” You asked.

“Yeah, that room down in the basement,” he replied.

“Oh, I didn’t think it was that bad.”

“Are you kidding?” Rob said as he removed his coat and discarded it. He pulled his sleeves up and the guys gathered in a circle in the hallway, each of them looking as if they were prepping for something important. “No one wants the basement room.”

You stood beside Billy as the guys readied themselves to decide who else was getting first pick of the good rooms. Billy had picked his room after you did. Since it was his birthday weekend, he also got a bit of special treatment. Now, you realized that the rest of it would be decided by a game. You listened as the rules were explained and clarified, not really understanding what was going on.

You watched intently, laughing as the first round didn’t go well. You gathered from the first round that winners were decided on how many fingers were thrown at the count of three. Someone accused someone of cheating (which was denied of course) and there would be a rematch. There was a lot of swearing as the guys got worked up over it. By the second round, Rob had apparently lost. You could tell by the way he dramatically swore and hit the wall before moving into one of the rooms to yell some more. Maybe you didn’t fully understand the game, but based on what you had seen, you were sure that Rob hadn’t really lost.

You opened your mouth slightly to protest. Obviously Jason had cheated. You and Billy both noticed. Billy glanced to you with a smirk, wondering who you would side with. You thought better of sticking up for Rob, so you shut your mouth and continued to watch the entire scene unfold with amusement.

You only felt slightly sorry for Rob as he was banished to the dungeon.

You took note of how stressed he seemed about the entire thing. You weren’t sure if you had ever heard one man swear that much in one sentence before.

He seemed visibly upset, and it sort of made you feel bad that it was even a big deal. You understood letting Billy pick a room early as it would be his birthday soon; but you always got special treatment because you were usually the only woman surrounded by men when it came to doing shows like this. You figured you could make the situation a little more fair, since Jason certainly wasn’t going to fess up to cheating.

“You know what?” You began, attempting to ease the tension. “I’ll just take the basement room.”

“No, you already picked a room. You’re a lady and you get first dibs,” Jason argued.

“It’s fine. I really don’t mind,” you replied. You glanced over to Rob who seemed to be slightly caught off-guard by your offer. “Besides, it gives me some space from you guys.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Rob said. “It’s really not a big deal.”

“I insist. Please, just let me have the quiet part of the house to myself.”

“You’re willing to take the dungeon?” Billy asked in surprise.

“It’s a basement bedroom,” you replied. “It’s really not  a big deal. Besides, it has its own bathroom.”

You moved to the room that you had originally picked and immediately began to gather your belongings.

“Don’t do it,” Jason said. “I couldn’t live with myself knowing that you took that room just because we’re a bunch of guys acting like children.”

“Which is exactly why I think it’s better this way,” you chuckled as you headed down the hallway. “Now, I won’t have to listen to the children every night.”

You stepped past Rob, who was standing in the doorway of one of the rooms, looking sort of guilty. He reached out and touched your arm as you walked by.

“Seriously, I was acting like an idiot. It’s fine.”

“Why are all of you making it out to be such a huge deal? Like I said, let the lady have the quiet space with it’s own bathroom. It’s the least you could do for me having to put up with you guys for five days.”

He smiled and moved his hand, nodding his understanding.

The basement bedroom really wasn’t so bad. You could tell right away that it would be quiet compared to the rest of the house. The separate bathroom was also a huge plus. You had grown up with brothers, and you always made it a point as an adult to never share a bathroom with a man. Something told you that you certainly didn’t want to start sharing one with these men in particular.

You made yourself comfortable in your new space; not before Billy and Rob made a point of visiting you to Snapchat the dungeon; Billy giving his best ominous performance as they did so. You laughed at them as they recorded the video; then made sure to throw a pillow in their direction as you told them to leave.

*

Your first night in New York was a free for all. There was no show scheduled; courtesy of Jason who simply wanted that first night to be a hang out night. You were still new to these guys, and a night out would definitely help you get to know them more.

You made sure to dress up, still in the mood to see how far you could push things with Rob and all the attention that he was giving you. The guys waited for you in the living room, already drinking beer, when you finally emerged from your basement.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” you said as you joined them.

“No worries,” Jason replied as he put an arm around you. “These guys are just as high maintenance.”

“What’s the plan?”

“Drinks?” Rob suggested.

“Dinner,” Billy grumbled. “I’m starving and it’s my birthday.”

“Okay, dinner first,” Rob said with a laugh.

All of you made your way outside and down the street until you found a restaurant that you could all agree on. Mostly, Billy had decided when no one could agree on the last five places that had been suggested.

*

Dinner had been nice. There was more conversation and drinking, someone had made sure to order a birthday cake for Billy, and after you all sang to him and enjoyed dessert, Rob mentioned hitting up a bar again. You could tell right away that these guys didn’t mess around when it came to touring. You had the feeling that you’d be expected to keep up with their partying, and you only hoped that you still had it in you to do so.

When dinner was done and the bill was paid, you followed the guys as they searched for a place to hang out for the rest of the night. You had never been to New York, but they seemed to know their way around fairly well. You decided it was best to just follow and trust that they were taking you someplace safe.

They found what they had been looking for and the entire group claimed a table in the back of the bar.

“I can get the first round,” you offered as you fumbled through your purse for your wallet.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jason said. He grabbed your hand as if to stop you from even considering paying for drinks.

“You guys got dinner, it’s the least I could do. Besides, it’s Billy’s birthday, let me pay.”

“Absolutely not,” Jason continued. You sighed when you realized that you weren’t going to win this one. Not once in the entire time that you had known him did Jason ever let you pay for anything, no matter what it was. He was a gentleman, but still quite annoying about it.

“Rob’s paying for the first round,” Billy added.

“Why me?”

“You really gonna make the lady pay?”

Rob grumbled as he moved away from the table toward the bar.

* * *

After an hour or so of laughing and talking at the table, everyone sort of dispersed. You enjoyed your drink and chuckled to yourself as the guys moved on to talk to some of the women there. It felt like you had been sitting there alone for hours. You glanced around a lot, noting when you’d see the guys; mostly scanning the room for Rob. Normally, you weren’t so interested in a man that you barely knew enough to actively seek him out like this. But, you wondered if he was out there trying his luck with some other random girl when you were sitting here completely alone. You had to consider if maybe he just wasn’t interested.

Each time you spotted Rob, he was either talking to one of the guys or simply drinking at the bar. You assumed this wasn’t normal behavior for him. He very much came across as the guy who would make the rounds, chatting up every pretty girl in the bar until he found the one for the night. Right now, you wondered if maybe Jason had been wrong about him all along.

You had been all but forgotten when you decided that you needed another drink. You made your way to the bar where you waited for the bartender’s attention when you felt a hand on your lower back. You turned quickly, expecting to have to shove a guy who was getting handsy; but you stopped yourself when you were greeted by Rob’s smile.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey yourself,” you replied.

“No luck getting a drink?”

“Nah, it’s really busy here. I don’t think they can even see me.”

“Let me try,” he offered as he moved next to you, squeezing his way in between you and a person on his other side. You felt your heart race as his chest pressed against yours and he grinned at you as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

“You don’t have to…” you began.

“I really don’t mind.”

“I was saying, you don’t have to spend all your time with me. This place is packed with people.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you want to mingle with all the pretty girls here too?” You asked. You nodded off in the direction of the other guys who were still busy doing just that.

“Why would I do that when the prettiest one is standing right here?” He replied as he looked at you.

“Flattering,” you giggled.

“Really though,” he mumbled. “You look really good tonight.”

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself.” You made a point of reaching up to tease at the scarf that he had around his neck.

“Look, I really appreciate the effort that you’re putting into trying to play hard to get,” Rob breathed out as you continued to stroke along his scarf, “but I’ve decided that I don’t have a ton of time to play along.”

“What do you mean?” You smiled when you realized that he had definitely caught on to your act. Most men didn’t catch on so quickly, so you assumed that Rob was a lot more familiar with this game that you thought.

“This is a short tour,” he reminded you. “Day one is already almost over and I haven’t even convinced you to kiss me yet.”

Your heart skipped at his words and you looked up into his eyes. You smiled, pleased that he felt the need to move things along. Yes, you usually liked to play, but you knew that he was right. There wasn’t a lot of time especially considering how busy you would be during the week.

“You haven’t even tried to convince me,” you pointed out.

He leaned in closer to you, blue eyes still set on yours. Your breath hitched as you felt his lips just ghost yours. He wanted to kiss you, but maybe he was reconsidering right now. There seemed to be a bit of hesitation on his part, probably due to the fact that Jason was in close proximity even though neither of you knew exactly where he was at this moment. Rob now seemed to be scanning the room as he shifted his focus from you to look around.

You no longer cared about Jason though. You hadn’t exactly played this game for as long as you would have liked to, but you had just decided that it was time to make a move. You reached up and stroked along Rob’s beard, smiling slyly as you turned his face back to yours.

“I really shouldn’t kiss you,” you mumbled. “You’re bad news.”

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re the one who’s bad news?”

Your head was already buzzing tonight, and the fact that he was so close to you didn’t help. You knew it could a bad idea to kiss him. If Jason saw, you’d never hear the end of it; even more, you weren’t sure what he would do to Rob. All you could think about now was Jason going into protective friend mode if he saw this. You darted your eyes around the bar just as Rob had done, but unable to see Jason anywhere. You looked back to Rob and he was waiting, hand still resting carelessly against your waist, those lips dangerously close to yours.

You didn’t think anymore. You just leaned up and pressed your lips against his out of sheer want. His lips were surprisingly soft. You felt his beard scratch against your skin and you focused on the way he slowly kissed you back. He didn’t rush like you expected a guy like him to. Instead, he let you take the lead. He brought a hand up to your face, gently pulling you in closer as you parted your lips for him. Yes, his lips felt nice, but you wanted to really kiss him.

He hesitated briefly before allowing himself to deepen the kiss, and when he did, you felt your legs weaken and your head spin. He wrapped his arms around your waist to steady you, not breaking the kiss at all.

You hadn’t been kissed like this in a long time. It was nice, but all you could think about was if you should be doing this with someone that you technically worked with currently. In your tipsy haze, you neglected to care right now. Mostly because you realized were interested in the very same thing.

When you both came back for air, you blushed and glanced around you again, wondering if anyone had seen that. You were in the middle of a crowded bar, of course someone had seen. Mostly, you just hoped Jason hadn’t witnessed it. The last thing you needed was to be reprimanded by him for allowing that to happen. Rob was one of his best friends, but he was still very adamant about you keeping your guard up around him. You really didn’t care about what he had to say. You were into Rob and he was also obviously into you. While you had no intention of trying to make this into anything serious, and it certainly wouldn’t break your heart to just have even one night with him, you understood that Jason would see this very differently.

* * *

You considered trying to see if you could talk Rob into getting out of there early with you. That kiss had left you wanting more, and you knew damn well that he would be more than willing to sneak away. Still, you hadn’t done this in a long time; and you found yourself tripping up over the words that you wanted to say.

Before either of you could actually make the suggestion to head back to the house together, it seemed as if everyone else was ready to call it a night.

Jason found you and you grew nervous just wondering if he was at all aware as to what had happened between you and Rob. He only asked if the two of you were ready to go as well.

You and Rob agreed that you were both ready to go, frustrated that this night was not going in your favor. All you wanted was some privacy, just a moment with Rob where there weren’t four other men around you. This was going to be a lot more difficult than you expected.

* * *

All of you made it home safely and together. The party had continued once you arrived and you sat back on the couch, watching as the guys engaged in some drinking game that sounded like a bad idea. You caught Rob’s glances toward you; the both of you smiling at each other as if you shared a secret that no one else knew. You suppose in a way, it was true.

You sipped on your drink slowly, still feeling buzzed from the drinks at the bar, and knowing that you didn’t want to overdo it.

When the game had become boring, the guys focused mainly on drinking and talking loudly among themselves. That was the moment that Jason chose to approach you. He sat next to you and you smiled over at him.

“You having fun?” He asked.

“I am. This tour is going to be good.”

“What do you think about the guys?”

“They’re great. Everyone is nice and considerate. I’m having fun, honest.”

“You let me know if any of them make you uncomfortable,” he insisted as he pointed in the general direction of the other guys. You knew what he was getting at though.

“No one’s making me uncomfortable,” you replied. “Really, everyone is great.”

“Rob’s not making anything weird?”

“No,” you said as you gave him a confused look.

“He didn’t make things weird when he kissed you at the bar?”

“Oh, you saw that?”

“Yeah, I saw.”

“Then you know that I kissed him, right?”

“You need to be careful with him,” he said, ignoring your question.

“Isn’t he your friend?” you asked. “why are you warning me about him?”

“Because I know how he is, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“You’re not my actual brother,” you reminded him. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m an adult. What and who I chose to do isn’t your problem.”

“Okay, ew,” he replied, scowling at you over the thought of it.

“It was just a kiss. It’s not a big deal.”

“It will be when he talks you into the same thing that he talks every girl into.”

“You know, you act as if I’m so fragile. It’s almost as if I haven’t been single for a couple of years. Do you think that I haven’t been with men this entire time? Do you think I’m celibate or something?”

“God, I was sort of hoping you were.”

“I’m an adult woman who happens to be single. I have needs too.”

“I really don’t need to know that.”

“You started it,” you laughed as you playfully shoved him. “You can’t just swoop in and warn me that your very good-looking friend over there might be trying to get into my pants. Especially not when I’m very interested.”

“Don’t talk like that. I can’t hear you talk like that about him.”

“It’s only okay if men are promiscuous?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then stop insinuating that, as a woman, I’m not allowed to have my needs fulfilled.”

“You just- you deserve better than that,” he said, pointing at Rob. “You deserve a good man who loves you and who won’t disappear in the middle of the night.”

“Let me worry about that. In the meantime, just leave Rob and I alone. I know what I’m doing.”

“I know him too well to even consider leaving you alone when it comes to him.”

“I like him,” you smiled. “He’s sweet.”

“You know it’s all a ruse,” he replied. “That’s how he gets so lucky with the ladies.”

“Well, what makes you think that I wouldn’t be the one getting lucky in this case?”

“Okay, I’m done talking about this with you. I’m sufficiently weirded out now.”

“Good, you’re going to leave me alone. My plan worked.” You grinned as you watched Jason stand up to leave. If nothing else, at least discussion of the fact that you were into his friend was enough to make him uncomfortable. You could at least use that to your advantage in the future.

You sat around for a while longer, now getting bored with watching the guys continue to drink. You realized that maybe you didn’t have it in you to keep up like you would have been able to in the past. The worst of it was that you couldn’t get what had happened at the bar out of your mind.

You focused on Rob, considering whether you should try to be a little more forward with him. You weren’t used to this at all.

You decided very suddenly that you had had enough. You said goodnight to the guys and made your way downstairs. You yawned dramatically, wondering how the hell they could still be at it this late. Maybe your party days were far behind you; after all, you hadn’t made a career out of music yet the way that they had.

You changed into pajamas and slipped into bed, eyes heavy with sleep. You listened for a moment, pleased that you really had picked the most quiet spot in the house.

When you were comfortable, you couldn’t help but to think about Rob and that kiss. You knew that you had been very into it, and you were sure that he had been as well. You reached for your phone and only hesitated for a moment before you decided it was okay to text him.

_Y/N: Still thinking about that kiss._

_Rob: It was a good kiss. Just don’t read too much into it._

_Y/N: Don’t flatter yourself. It’s just been a while._

_Rob: How long?_

_Y/N: Too long._

_Rob: Didn’t mean to frustrate you._

_Y/N: It’s nothing that I can’t handle on my own._

_Rob: Woman…_

You grinned to yourself as you set your phone aside. You figured you had sufficiently got him worked up. Or, you had hoped you did. A little teasing between the two of you couldn’t hurt. However, all of this was definitely frustrating when all you wanted was to hook up with him but your current housing situation made it a bit difficult to do so.


	3. Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Rob seem to be on the same page about what they want, so why is Rob hesitating?

You woke the following morning, or rather, afternoon, to the sounds of people walking above you. Groggily, you stilled yourself, wondering what was going on. You could hear heavy footsteps and muffled conversation and you realized that maybe the basement wasn’t as quiet as you had hope it was. You glanced at the clock on your phone and realized that you had slept in really late. You forgot to set an alarm and the fact that this room had no windows didn’t help you to discern between night and day. It also didn’t help that you had basically been forced to stay up later than usual by the guys.

You groaned as you forced yourself out of bed and headed immediately for the bathroom.

After you were showered and dressed, you headed upstairs. All of the guys were up and in seemingly good moods and greeted you when you appeared. You didn’t spot Jason anywhere yet, which you were grateful for because you really weren’t in the mood to listen to him go on about what had happened last night. You headed straight for the coffee, grateful that someone had thought to leave you some.

“Late sleeper,” Billy pointed out.

“It doesn’t help that I volunteered myself to the dungeon,” you replied as you took a drink of your coffee. “I honestly didn’t know it was so late.”

“You hungry?” Rob asked as he too joined you for a late cup of coffee.

“Starving.”

“Let’s get lunch,” he offered. “You and I.”

“Really? The rest of us don’t get an invite?” Billy scowled as he listened.

“I think the rest of you can manage,” Rob replied as he stared at Billy. You felt as if he was warning Billy to back off a bit.

“Fine,” Billy grumbled. He turned to you and shot you a wink, as if he understood what was going on here. “But you should probably go before Jason gets out of the shower.”

* * *

You and Rob wandered for a while before deciding on a pizza place. You stepped inside the shop and the two of you each ordered a slice and drinks. The most surprising part of the day was that he made sure to pull your chair out for you when you found a table.

“So, you ready for tonight?” He asked as he sat across from you.

“I think so,” you replied. “I’m excited for my first New York show.”

“People will love you. Don’t be surprised when things start to pick up for your career.”

“Thank you.”

“I mean it, these fans are amazing. They’ve been saying nothing but good things about you on social media since the L.A. show.”

“That’s good.”

“You should sing with us tonight,” he added. “I mean on one of our songs.”

“Really? That would be fun. I love your songs.”

“Let’s do it. You’re way better than Jason anyway. Maybe I’ll replace him with you.”

You laughed, taking a bite of your pizza. “You guys are funny. You fight like brothers.”

“Yeah, well, we practically are.”

“Look, I’ll sing with you if we do ‘Gone’. It’s my favorite.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said with a smile.

“I should have gotten what you did,” you said as you eyed his pizza. You had gone with boring pepperoni and his food was looking better than yours.

“Want some?”

“It’s okay.”

“Here, I insist,” he said as he held the slice up to you. You hesitantly leaned in and took a bite.

“I definitely should have went with that,” you laughed. Rob laughed as well and you found yourself feeling very comfortable with him. You both ate in silence for a bit longer and you watched as he took a drink of his coke.

“Hey, can we talk about last night?” You asked suddenly.

“Sure,” he replied. “What’s up?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Are we talking about that kiss?”

“Yeah, I just- I need to know what that was all about.”

“Why does it have to be about anything?”

“Um, because kissing sometimes means something to people. I’m not saying it meant anything to me either. But, I don’t generally get kissed like that by men who are just interested in sex.”

“Well, I could ask you the same question. You’re the one who kissed me.” He raised an eyebrow at you accusingly, amused that it was even something you were thinking about.

“Yeah, but you started it.”

“I liked kissing you,” he said simply.

“I liked it too.”

“Well, we both liked it. We can just go with that.”

“Yeah, but why did it happen?”

“I don’t know. We were drinking. We got caught up in the moment. Maybe I’m very attracted to you.”

“You just go around kissing women like that all the time?”

“No,” he said simply.

“Are you what everyone says you are? I can’t believe how many of your friends have told me that you’re nothing but a player.”

“If you’re asking if I’ve ever had a relationship… not in a long time. I’m single and I happen to live that life. You’re single too, right?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“Are you telling me that you’ve never had a one-night stand or anything like that?”

“No, I’m not denying that.”

“Okay. Why is it so bad that I do it? It’s not like I lead anyone on or anything. In fact, I’m very up front about who I am.”

“For the record, I didn’t say it was a bad thing. I was just wondering if Jason is right to tell me to stay away from you. I just wanted to know if I made a mistake in kissing you.”

“Do you regret it?”

“I don’t. I just- might have been a little surprised that you didn’t even try to to take me home though.”

“Look,” he chuckled. “You’re beautiful. You’re insanely talented, you’re funny, and you’re cool as hell. I would not turn you down for anything. But, I also didn’t want to just try to jump into bed with you; not when we’re working together and Jason is literally in the same house. I prefer to make it back to L.A. alive by the end of this tour.”

“Fair enough,” you laughed.

“I could try though,” he said quietly. “I want to press my luck with you.”

“So, you are trying to sleep with me?”

He stared at you quietly, a smirk forming on his lips. He didn’t even have to say it, you knew that was exactly what he was trying to do.

“I take it you’re not that kind of girl though?” he asked.

“What kind of girl?”

“The fooling around kind of girl.”

“I didn’t say that,” you replied slyly.

“Well what kind of girl are you?”

“I’m the kind of girl that enjoyed that kiss. I’m also the kind of girl who is very attracted to you.”

“Good,” he smirked at he leaned across the table slightly. Those blue eyes seemed to burn right into you, almost as if he were ready for the challenge. “I think we’re both on the same page.”

“I’m also the kind of girl that’s really interested to know what other women think of you.”

“Why? Like you said before, we don’t know each other. Let’s not worry about each other’s past conquests.”

“It that what this is? Am I a conquest?”

“No,” he replied honestly. “I know you a little too well to make this a conquest.”

“Is that how you usually work though? Is that what women are to you?”

“You’re making me out to sound like a real asshole.”

“If the shoe fits…” you grinned.

“I’m not an asshole. People that I know look at me as if I’m just a player who loves women and leaves them. But, I’m very up front about who I am and what I want.”

“Well, isn’t that what flings are really?”

“I never go in lying and saying that I love anyone. There have been a few who maybe take it that way though.”

“So what? Chicks fall for you and you just cut them loose?”

“Well, yeah. Like I said, I never lead anyone on though. It’s not my fault that some women get caught up in the idea that it’s more than it really is.”

“Some people just don’t know how to conduct themselves during a one-night stand,” you joked.

“See, you get it.”

“Sorry, I just had to ask.”

“It’s fine. What about you?” He asked as he focused on his food again. “How do you conduct yourself.”

“Well, I’m certainly not a player.”

“You have relationships then?”

“No. I work a lot. I’m more focused on music. I’ve been busy writing and moving obviously.”

“But, you do date or whatever.”

“Not really, no. I guess I get what I need and move along. I don’t have time for attachment.”

“Me too. We’re a lot alike. Although, Jason seems to think differently.”

“Jason is very protective. I’ve known him my whole life. He’s always tried to keep me away from guys like you.”

“Well, he’s a good friend to you at least.”

“He likes to pretend that I’m still that innocent girl that he grew up with. Although, these aren’t thing you necessarily talk about with someone who is practically family.”

“Well, I can see why he thinks that.”

“Oh?” You replied, tilting your head questioningly at him.

“You just don’t seem like the type.”

“What type?”

“The type that sleeps around.”

“Well, now you make me sound bad.”

“I mean it. You don’t seem like the kind of girl who’s okay with flings. You try to come across as that kind of girl, but I’m not so sure that it isn’t just an act.”

“I don’t know if I should be offended or not. Are you saying I seem like a prude?”

“No. It’s a compliment. Also, I bet you have similar problems with guys thinking it’s more than just sex when they’re with you.”

“Explain.”

“You just- seem like the type of girl that’s easy to fall in love with.”

“And how would a guy like you even know know that?” you grinned.

“I guess I don’t.”

You sat back and watched him, pondering the entire conversation. Surely the flirting had been there between the two of you this entire time. You were able to talk openly about who you were and what you expected. That kiss had been memorable. You weren’t one to beat around the bush when it came to asking for what you wanted, and you knew he wasn’t the type either. But, this entire time that the two of you had gotten to know each other, you both seemed to avoiding what it was that you really wanted from each other.

You wanted him; that much was obvious. He wanted you; or so it seemed. Why it was so difficult to just get to the point when apparently you were both very good at getting to the point in the past, you didn’t understand.

The conversation played out as the two of you basically setting this up. You didn’t care about what people said about him, because you knew people would speak the same way about you if you were more open about things. Right now, you knew that you wanted this to happen. The difficult part seemed to be actually getting there with him.

“You don’t strike me as the kind of guy who wastes time in talking a girl up to get what he wants,” you pointed out. “Maybe I’m reading you all wrong, but you seem to be wasting a lot of time trying to convince me of something when I think we’re very aware of what it is that you really want.”

“I think I’m just trying to talk myself out of it,” he replied.

“Really?” You asked, sort of surprised and maybe a little hurt by the fact.

“Yeah, I mean, we’re working together,” he began. “And there’s Jason. He’s one of my best friends, you know. He thinks the world of you.”

“Are we talking about the idea that it’s best to not mix work and play?”

“I think so. There’s also the whole ‘don’t fuck your best friends sister’ thing.”

“I’m not his sister.”

Rob shrugged, “you might as well be.”

“So, let me get this straight,” you started. You leaned in, focusing on him as you tried to wrap your head around what was going on here. “We kissed, you took me out to lunch, we had this discussion; both with probably the same intentions… all of this just so you could tell me that you want to sleep with me, but then you shoot me down at the same time?”

“Now I do sound like an asshole.”

“I have never encountered a man who showed this much interest, only to bomb on the follow through.”

“Maybe I’m not sure if it’s worth my time trying to be with you.”

“That was you who got my texts last night, yeah?”

“Oh,” he laughed. “Those texts. Yeah, about those…”

“That was an invite,” you said bluntly. “Or, do I need to start being more obvious?”

“For a minute there, I thought you were teasing. You did say you liked to play.”

“I do. And I was teasing,” you replied. “It was still and invite though.”

You noticed as he swallowed hard, probably just as excited as you about the possibility of what could happen.

“But,” you continued as you forced your stare away from him. “Like you said, we should probably not even consider it anymore.”

“I don’t get another invitation?”

“It’s not my fault you didn’t take me up on the last offer.”

“You really are a tease,” he said as he smirked at you. He tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at you. Obviously he was still trying to figure you out.

* * *

Later at the show, and after your own set, you stood at the side of the stage as the guys played.

“Y/N is going to join us for a song,” Jason said. The audience applauded as you joined the men on stage. You took your place between Rob and Jason, moving close to Rob to share his mic since Jason’s was out of the question in terms of you even being able to reach it.

The band began to play and you joined them in ‘ _Gone_ ’, probably your most favorite song from their album.

Jason and Rob let you take most of the lead of the song; both of them watching with smiles as you belted out the lyrics. You definitely noticed the way that Rob watched you, so you made sure to make the performance extra flirty.

You finished the song with them and the audience applauded you as left the stage, letting the band finish their set with one more song.

It was after they were completely done that the guys found you, grinning ear to ear at how fun that had been.

“God, you are fucking phenomenal,” Rob breathed out. He embraced you quickly and you hugged him back as you giggled.

“That was a lot of fun,” you replied. “You guys are so amazing. I say it all the time, but I mean it.”

“You sounded amazing together,” Billy added. “Seriously, it’s like you should have been in the band to begin with.”

“Stop,” you blushed. “That was great though. Thanks for letting me be a part of that.”

“Yeah, Y/N,” Rob began. “We do sound pretty fantastic together. I bet we could be really good at a lot of things together.”

You smirked at him, pleased with the way that he seemed to stop caring about what Jason would think of his flirting.

“How about I buy you a drink,” Jason offered as he placed a hand on your back.

You let Jason lead you away, shaking your head at how he had interfered just then.

* * *

You sat mostly with Jason all night. You listened to him talk about nothing in particular; assuming that he was just trying to keep you and Rob apart. He didn’t bring up the fact that he was well aware of something going on between the two of you, but you figured he was smart enough not to. He may have always looked at you as his sweet and innocent friend, but even he knew the wrath you could dish out if he continued to tell you what you do.

You found yourself nodding along as he spoke, not really listening as your scanned the bar for Rob. When you did spot him finally, you considered ditching Jason to go talk to him, that is until you realized he wasn’t sitting at the bar alone.

He seemed to have found an admirer tonight. You watched as the woman openly flirted with him; noticing that he showed little interest. You didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, after all, you held no claim to him. But, something told you that if he was interested in a woman, this certainly wouldn’t be how he presented himself.

She was laughing and touching him a lot; all the while, Rob gave short smiles and looked off in other directions as if he were planning his escape. You didn’t want to be the girl who sat back and watched like this, but you did feel a twinge of something just by witnessing someone else hit on him.

You wondered if she would be the girl of the night. Maybe he didn’t seem interested in her, but you figured a guy like him didn’t really have to be into it in order to hook up.

Since your attention was elsewhere, Jason left eventually. He must have been bored with the fact that you were bored and you watched as he found someone else to talk to at the bar. You sighed in relief, grateful to have him off your back. You turned your attention back to Rob, taking note of the way the girl continued to flirt heavily with him. Something like jealousy boiled inside of you, wondering why he wasn’t hitting on you the way he had been this entire weekend.

After a few minutes of standing there as the girl flirted, you saw Rob excuse himself. He headed straight in your direction and you tried to pretend as if you hadn’t seen the whole thing.

“You know,” he began as he stood next to you. “For someone who talks about being a tease, you sure sit around alone a lot.”

“Maybe it’s not my intention to try to hook up with someone every night.”

“Yeah, well, maybe we’re not too much alike then.”

“You gonna take her home with you?” You asked as you stood up from your seat. You were semi-teasing and semi-jealous at the same time. You had been trying to hook up with him with no real luck. Right now, you felt as if he really wasn’t interested in you, and the thought of it hurt your ego. Your first thought was to walk out of there so not to let on that you might be jealous. You wanted to see if he would chase you.

Before you could even gather your things and walk away, he was already leaning in close to you until his body was flush against yours. You felt his hand on your hip as he pressed his mouth against your ear.

“You’re the only one that I am interested in taking home with me tonight.”

“We’re already staying in the same house.”

“Then I guess it’s my lucky night.”

“What about what you said? The whole, working relationship thing and all the stuff about not fooling around with me because of Jason.”

“I moved past that pretty quickly. If you don’t care, I don’t.”

“You gonna ditch out on that girl?”

“Not interested,” he replied. “She’s not my type.”

“And I am?”

“You have no idea.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to come to your senses.”

“Let’s get out of here then.”

You had every intention of going home with Rob. The idea of getting laid had you on edge the entire night. Now, you knew that he was serious about it; and you were just as serious.

Your attempt to ditch the rest of the guys and sneak out of the venue had been squashed though. Just as you began to follow Rob out the front door; Jason had caught you.

“Where are you going?”

“Just back to the house,” you replied. “It’s late and I’m tired.”

Jason turned his focus to Rob, who had also stopped as Jason stopped you.

“You’re going with him?”

“Hey, I was just going to make sure she got back safely,” Rob argued. “She’s a little tipsy and I didn’t feel comfortable letting her leave alone.”

“You could’ve just asked me,” Jason replied as he looked back to you.

“It’s fine, you’re having fun. Rob offered.”

“I’m sure he did.”

“Come on man,” Rob said impatiently.

“Stop,” you warned Jason. It was just like him to act this way with you. You could relay to him the fact that you were an adult all you wanted, he still felt the need to protect you from things that you didn’t need protection from.

“What’s going on?” You turned to face Billy who had joined the three of you.

“Nothing,” Jason replied. “Looks like some of us are taking the party back to the house again.”

“I’m down,” Billy replied, indicating that he too was ready to leave the bar.

You let out a frustrated sigh as you realized that you and Rob were definitely not going back to the house alone.

Back home, the guys continued to drink. You were almost desperate enough to just grab Rob and drag him to your room; but even you couldn’t bring yourself to make it so obvious.

“How’s the dungeon treating you?” Billy asked suddenly.

You gave him smile, “very nice actually. It’s cozy. And quiet. You wouldn’t believe the privacy I get.” you darted your eyes toward Rob as you spoke, not really meaning to make it obvious that it was a hint.

You had all but given up on the idea that you were going to get your chance with him tonight. The guys had ruined everything early on, and even as you sat here, dropping clues to Rob, you could tell that he was weary of doing anything about your flirting right now. You reminded yourself to yell at Jason later for always interfering.

Deciding that you were tired, and even more frustrated than before; you headed off to bed before anyone could even notice that you had left. You got ready for bed, knowing that you’d have to take matters into your own hands yet again tonight. Before you could even think about going that route, you got a text from Rob.

_Rob: Did you turn in early?_

_Y/N: Do these guys seriously party all night?_

_Rob: We all do usually._

_Y/N: Where are you?_

_Rob: Hiding in my room actually._

_Y/N: Same._

_Rob: Is it quiet down there?_

_Y/N: Yes._

_Rob: Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown a fit about the dungeon._

_Y/N: Come downstairs._

You bit your lip as you sent the last text. You knew damn well that you were being forward again, but you were tired of dancing around what it was that you wanted. Maybe all of this made you look bad, but you didn’t care. You didn’t care what Jason would say, and you didn’t even care that Rob would definitely take advantage of the fact that you wanted him and probably ignore you afterward. All you knew was that there was a lot of tension between the two of you, especially after that kiss. You only wanted to relieve that tension for your own sake.

_Rob: On my way._

You heard a soft knock at your door not long after.

You felt as if you shouldn’t be doing this. You shouldn’t be here right now knowing what you knew. He was not the kind of guy who was going to love you and stick around. You knew damn well what he wanted from you. The only problem now was that you sort of wanted to know what it would be like to be with him. You had been attracted to him immediately, and that interest only grew as he let you get to know him more.

You got up and answered the door, smiling as you stepped aside to let him in.

“It is quiet down here,” he said.

“Yeah. I mean, I like to party as much as the guys too. But, sometimes I just need a night, you know?”

“I totally get it. Mind if I hang out here for a while.”

“As long as you want.”

You both laid down on your bed, getting comfortable as you slipped into a lazy conversation. Just the idea of having him here in your bed made your brain lose focus on anything but how good he looked.

He must have caught you staring at him as you muttered “uh huhs" and short answers to his questions. You weren’t interested in talking anymore and he knew it.

He shifted in his spot and moved in closer to you as you lay there. He said nothing else, only leaned in to kiss you finally.

His lips brushed against yours softly at first, gauging your reaction. You moved in to meet him halfway, pressing your lips firmly against his. Now that he had the go-ahead, he deepened the kiss, humming as you parted your lips for him. You kissed like that for some time; him focusing on you and you focusing on how good this felt. He pulled away suddenly, leaving you light-headed and loopy as he focused his mouth elsewhere.

“Is this okay?” He whispered as he pressed his lips to your neck softly. You let out a sigh, not even bothering to answer him as you lost yourself for a moment. He took your silence, and the fact that you were gripping onto his shirt, as his cue to continue. He took his time; placing kisses against your skin, stopping often to suck and nibble against your neck here and there. You were already on edge, squirming against the bed as his focus stayed on your neck. His hands stayed gentle against your stomach, not daring to wander just yet.

You ran your hands up his back, stopping to caress the back of his neck before you ran your fingers through his dark curls. You gave his hair a tug and he immediately moaned against your skin. It only caused you to arch your back at the sound.

You reached down and tugged at the hem of his shirt. You weren’t really sure what you were doing in this moment, or if this was even a good idea. All you did know that it had been a long time since you had been with someone, and Rob was the first person in all that time that you often thought about in this way. You understood his reputation, he was a good-looking and charming man, so why wouldn’t he take advantage of that. Reputation aside, he was also a good-looking and charming man who was interested in you. Maybe the two of you could both take advantage of the tension that had been building between you.

Rob sat up and pulled his shirt off over his head, causing you to suck in a breath now that you could see just how gorgeous he was unclothed. You still wanted more; and when your hand began to fumble with his belt buckle, he didn’t hesitate.

Once he was undressed, he made his way between your legs, kneeling over you as his eyes took you in. You weren’t even undressed yet, but he looked at you as if you were. He reached down and placed his hands against your waist; slowly caressing up your body under your oversized sweater. The sensation of his calloused hands against your skin sent shockwaves through your body and you arched your body up again, chasing his touch. He smiled at you as he worked his hands down, stopping to tease at the waist of your tights. He slipped his thumbs under the fabric and gave you a questioning look.

“I didn’t lock the door,” you said suddenly. You were fully aware of the fact that you were about to have sex with the man, and you were also aware that there were four other men in this house who didn’t understand boundaries. You had been barged in on while sleeping in your own room enough times this weekend to know that none of them really cared about privacy.

“Yeah, I locked the door,” he grinned. You couldn’t help but think that maybe he had planned this. He leaned down to kiss you as he began to feverishly work at your tights. You moved to make the job easier for him, also sitting up so that he could remove your sweater.

“Please tell me that you have a condom,” he said as he eyed you.

“What? You didn’t bring one?” you asked as you leaned up on your elbows.

“Well, I didn’t come down here with the intent of sleeping with you.”

“Really?” You asked, not really believing him. “Because I would have thought that was your intention all along.”

“You got one or not?” He said as he rolled his eyes.

“I don’t have one.”

He frowned, looking frustrated as he moved away to reach for his jeans that he had tossed onto the floor. Just as you expected, he had come prepared. He found what he was looking for and held it up for you to see.

“Oh, you didn’t come down here with the intent, huh?” You laughed.

He grumbled slightly as he tore the wrapper open and put the condom on. He focused on you again, touching you gently before kissing you again.

“You are so fucking gorgeous,” he purred as he led you back onto the bed. His words were music to your ears. The praises he was giving to you already helped you to relax. It didn’t matter if this was just a one-night stand, that’s all you wanted as well.

He kissed you and teased you for a moment; at least until you were a frustrated mess beneath him. You gripped at his back, silently trying to lead him into what you needed. He read your cues easily and the next thing you knew, he was pushing himself into you. You gasped as he filled you, gripping harder onto his back as you raised your hips up toward him. You wanted him, and you wanted this to happen now.

He kept himself still as he focused on kissing you again. The feeling of having him inside of you was blissful, but you needed more.

“Please,” you mumbled as you broke the kiss.

“What do you need?” He asked with a smirk.

“Just fuck me already.”

He didn’t verbally respond, but he pulled out of you slightly and thrust himself back into you. You moaned loudly, pressing your head back against the pillow.

“You should probably keep it down,” he warned. You considered this, especially since the other guys were still in the house and had a bad habit of bothering you in your quiet space.

He began to move steadily, building a rhythmic pace as he slowly moved in and out of you. It already felt so good, and his warning slipped your mind as you let yourself go. You gasped and moaned each time he thrust into you.

He pressed his mouth against yours finally, letting his tongue taste yours in an attempt to quiet your noises. It worked for the most part. Now your focus was on kissing him while he fucked you, the sensations of both actions already bringing you to the edge.

“Fuck, Rob,” you muttered as you broke away from his kiss. He was already moving faster, groaning against your neck and no longer worried about either of you being too loud.

You gripped onto his shoulders as he began to lose his rhythm. You could tell that he was close and so were you, so you raised your hips with each thrust that he gave.

“Y/N,” he groaned as he leaned up to look at you. The two of you made eye contact, holding each others gaze as he began to fuck into you harder. You gasped as he hit you in just the right spot, feeling the pooling of warmth in you belly. You moved to grip onto his hips, leading him into exactly what he was already doing. You needed him and you needed this.

“Please,” you moaned, voice broken, “just just like that.”

He kept his eyes focused on yours, his mouth dropping open in a low moan as the two of you worked each other closer to your releases. He gave a roll of his hips against you and you threw your head back, crying out at your climax washed over you unexpectedly. You dug your fingertips into his hips, still pulling at him with each thrust as your body shuddered from your release. Just as you began to come down from the high, he jerked against you, groaning as he reached his own climax. You heard him mutter your name as he collapsed on top of you, and you grinned as you moved to run your hands through his hair again.

After the two of you came down, steadying your breathing, he rolled off of you.

“I’m pretty sure the entire house heard you,” he breathed out. He turned to smile at you, probably impressed with himself that he had managed to make you feel that good.

You hummed in response, not really caring if they had heard. All that mattered right now was that you had gotten exactly what you wanted from him, and he had certainly met your expectations.

You reached over, placing your hands on his cheek as you led him in for another slow kiss.

“Thanks for that,” you said when the kiss ended. You gave him a quick pat on the cheek before you rolled away from him.

“Are you going to sleep?” He asked.

“I’m exhausted,” you replied.

“Uh, should I go?”

“Do whatever you want,” you mumbled. You already had your eyes closed; not even noticing if he had stayed or not when you eventually drifted off to sleep.


	4. Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Rob are perfectly aware of what this is; they’re pros at one-night stands. There’s no room for jealousy, but sometimes feelings get in the way of a good time.

You woke up, unaware if it was even morning yet. The basement didn’t give you fair warning as to the time of day since it was desperately lacking windows. You groaned as you reached over for your phone, turning it on as the bright screen nearly blinded you. It was definitely morning, and still fairly early. You put the phone back down and turned behind you. You knew you were looking to see if Rob was still there, even though you knew the answer to that. You stared at an empty space in your bed; nothing but rumpled sheets and and extra pillow. You smiled to yourself, knowing that this was to be expected, and feeling relieved that he hadn’t stayed. 

You talked a big game; but the last thing you needed was for him to be seen leaving your room in the morning. You figured the guys, especially Jason, had probably caught on to what was going on between you and Rob, you just didn’t want to make it obvious because you knew you’d never hear the end of it.

You did your usual routine; getting dressed and ready for the day before you headed upstairs. You hoped that things wouldn’t be weird. You knew you were capable of functioning normally after a one-night stand, but you weren’t so sure how Rob handled himself especially when you still had a few days left of the tour and you would be around each other.

When you did make it upstairs, you were greeted by the guys who were all unusually smiley and perky this morning; all but Jason. Of course, you and Rob hadn’t been completely casual about your flirtations and the fact that he had snuck downstairs last night. You assumed that they knew. You helped yourself to coffee, throwing a glance toward Rob. Surprisingly, he seemed to be watching you, because you made eye contact and he grinned at you. For some reason, you felt yourself blush. It had just been a one time thing, there was no reason to feel so giddy the morning after.

No one really spoke most of the morning; sans a few conversations here and there between the guys. Rob made sure to say hi to you, taking moments to smile in your direction. However, the entire feel of the house was awkward. You took quick note of the tension between Rob and Jason. Jason practically ignored him. He didn’t speak to him or look at him. Come to think of it, Jason hadn’t even greeted you, only glanced in your direction once or twice.

You stayed on edge that day, unsure as to why it was a big deal even if they all knew that you and Rob had hooked up. You were adults who happened to be single. But, you felt as if you were walking on eggshells all day.

It wasn’t until you all began to load up for the show that night that Jason actually spoke to you. Before he even said a word, you could tell that he was disappointed.

“I told you to stay away from him,” Jason had said as the two of you found yourselves alone inside the house. The other guys were outside, organizing the cars.

“What are you talking about?” You sighed. “We’re touring together. It’s impossible to stay away from him.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Does everyone know?”

“What? That you slept together? Yeah, he made it pretty obvious.”

“He did not go bragging to you.” In a way, you figured he was totally the type to brag about his conquests. He might just do it simply to get under Jason’s skin.

“No, but he wasn’t shy about going downstairs to visit you last night. He also seemed pretty smug when he found his way back upstairs hours later.”

“We talked,” you explained, hoping that your half-lie would just put an end to his nagging.

“Bullshit.”

“It’s not your business!” You shouted. Now you were frustrated, no longer finding his ‘older brother’ act endearing or sweet.

“I’m just trying to protect you.”

“You don’t need to protect me. Not from him.”

“I told you, he’s going to get what he wants from you and that’s it. Don’t expect him to stick around or anything. He uses women and walks away with no hesitation.”

“Did you ever stop to think that I don’t care?”

“How can you not care?” He asked. He gave you a confused look, unsure of whether or not you understood what he was saying.

“Maybe I’m the one who insisted on the two of us having sex. Maybe I’m the one who wanted him one time, and maybe I’m the one who is fine with that.”

“You are so not capable of one night stands,” he replied, shaking his head at you. Jason had always thought of you as his innocent friend who could never be okay with a guy like Rob. He probably went through life telling himself that you were practically a nun.

“Tell that to every one night stand I’ve ever had,” you replied seriously. “Wait, you can’t because I don’t like to keep in touch with them after we’ve fucked.”

“Can you not talk like that?” He asked, seemingly offended at your choice of words.

“Look, I get it. We’re practically family. But you don’t know me in that way, and I would have preferred it if you didn’t butt into that part of my life. I don’t want a relationship right now. But I still have needs. I haven’t been accepting Rob’s advances in the hopes that he’ll fall in love with me or something.”

“What do you expect from him?”

“Nothing. I just really wanted to get laid.”

Jason’s face fell into a look of horror as you said it. You smirked at him, realizing that you had grossed him out, which was exactly what you were going for.

“I didn’t need to hear that from you of all people.”

“Then stay out of my personal life,” you huffed in exasperation. “Unless you want the juicy details. Because I can give you those.”

You smiled harder, taking joy in the way he suddenly realized that he had overstepped and he already had heard more than he ever wanted to.

“No- no thanks. This is me backing off.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

Another night; another great show. By the end of both sets, you realized that you could really get used to the idea of touring like this. At least, if it meant you got to tour with these guys. What you and Rob had agreed to had been fun all on it’s own; but you genuinely enjoyed everyone’s company. You felt a bit sad tonight as you realized that this tour was very well near its end. You’d have to go back to L.A. and you would no longer have to put up with the partying, arguments, and childish behavior that all of the guys had subjected you. You frowned at the thought of it.

When it came time for the after-party, you were slightly surprised when Rob approached you. Things hadn’t been weird really, but he did avoid talking to you most of the day. You assumed it was because Jason was aware of what went on between you, and maybe he was afraid he’d get pummeled by your best friend.

It wasn’t until you were sitting at a table, enjoying a drink with the other guys that he actually decided to strike up a conversation with you. You were grateful for the way he didn’t let things get awkward. You still had some time left on this tour and you would still be in close quarters for a while, and there was no need to complicate things when the both of you had gone into this with the understanding of what it was and that it shouldn’t be complicated.

You and Rob were in the middle of a generic conversation when a pretty woman approached the two of you. She was actually quite stunning and she smiled wide as she looked directly at Rob. You assumed she was a fan so you turned your attention to her when Rob did, only to find that she wasn’t even slightly interested in you. She focused on Rob as you sat there and you forced a smile as she blatantly cut in. Your conversation seemed to be at an end as he engaged the woman in conversation, laughing and smiling while she openly flirted with him

It shouldn’t have bothered you, but you had just slept with the man the night before. It’s not that you expected anything else from that, it just sort of hurt your ego that she was there and Rob turned his focus to her. You had spent a few days being somewhat spoiled by his attention, which had been a great ego boost; and now you felt small when you realized that maybe Jason had been right. He had obviously gotten what he wanted from you and was quickly moving onto the next. It wasn’t unexpected really, you just didn’t expect for it to happen right in front of your face like this. You wondered if the men from your past had felt this way when you had treated them the same.

You didn’t know how you would handle the idea of him bringing this girl back to the house while you were staying there. Flings weren’t usually so complicated. You  realized that, while you didn’t want this to be complicated, it most certainly was. Unsettled, you shifted in your chair, trying to focus your attention on something that wasn’t this man that you had slept with hitting on another woman right in front of your face. Why was this bothering you so much? You kicked yourself for even feeling this way.

You stood up from your spot and wandered away from the heavy flirting that was happening between the two. You told yourself that it didn’t matter to you whether or not he was interested in her; but you certainly didn’t want to sit there and watch this. You wandered briefly before finding a new spot, far on the other end of the bar where you felt a little less awkward. You ordered a beer and a shot at the bar, overcome with the need to really drink. ‘Why are you jealous?’ You asked yourself. The moment you thought this, you forced the thought from your mind. It was impossible. You didn’t get jealous over a guy who meant nothing to you. You downed your shot immediately and chased it with your beer, tossing some cash on the bar before turning your attention to the crowd behind you. Your eyes scanned the room for something… you weren’t sure. But, maybe you could find someone to catch your interest for the night. Two could play at this game.

Just as you began to argue with yourself in your mind about why this even had to be a game and why you were suddenly determined to find someone else just because he was, you were approached by a man that you recognized from earlier. He was just a patron. A man that happened to show up to the bar with a ticket for the show. He had chatted with you before setup briefly and you had almost forgotten about him. You recalled how he had said he would love to talk to you after the performance. You smiled as he stepped in front of you, flattered that he had been interested enough to actually find you again.

“Hey,” he said with a smile. “You were really great tonight.”

“Thank you,” you blushed.

“Can I buy you a drink?”

“I’d like that.” You said as you downed the rest of your beer. You turned back toward the bar and you let him place his hand against the small of your back as he stepped beside you.He ordered two beers and turned his attention immediately to you.

“You have a great voice,” he began.

“I’ve been singing for a long time,” you replied. “Music is sort of in my blood.”

“I like the way you handle a guitar as well.”

You bit your lip, gathering that he was flirting mostly based on the way he stared at you. This one would be easy to reel in. Normally, you liked a chase, but tonight you figured you could give that stipulation up if it meant you got laid.

“Well, I’m pretty good at handling things,” you replied. Maybe that had been a bit too much, but you felt pretty brave tonight. This man was cute, and since you knew this would be easy, you weren’t about to draw the flirting out too much longer than necessary.

After a couple more drinks, and a bit of flirting later; you knew that you had him. He was interested and so were you. All that was left was to seal the deal. You hoped that he would at least invite you to his place. You wanted to avoid the house at all costs. You didn’t think the guys would give you grief about bringing someone home; but you knew that you and Rob had already made the entire situation a bit uncomfortable. You had both gone into this very clear on what it was, but you still wanted to avoid the possibility of making him uncomfortable if you could. Also, you didn’t want to risk running into the chick he had been hitting on in your own house.

Just as you had hinted to the man that you were ready to get out of there only if it meant going with him, you heard a voice cut in from behind you.

“Excuse me,” you paused the conversation to turn around, only to find yourself face to face with Rob.

“Rob-” you began. You were thrown off that he was even standing there. Even more thrown off at the way he placed his hand on your shoulder.

“She’s with me,” he said as he turned to face the man you had been talking to.

“What?” You felt your face heat up, a bit humiliated that he was doing this.

“Oh, sorry man,” the guy replied. “We were just talking. She didn’t say she was here with someone.”

“Yeah, well, she is. So maybe you can go find someone else to talk to.”

Before you could get a word in, the guy stood up and excused himself, glaring at you as if you had just done something horrible.

“Wh-what was that all about?” You asked as you watched your prospect for the night walk away. You turned to face Rob who only smiled at you.

“You’re welcome,” he replied.

“I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“No, I know,” he stuttered. “But, I thought-”

“Stop thinking,” you said angrily as you stood up. You pushed past him and headed for the exit, infuriated that he had the audacity to do that when he had spent a good portion of the night chatting with another girl.

Once you were outside, you stopped to calm yourself, only to see that Rob had followed you.

“Why did you do that?”

“I thought maybe you wanted me to step in.”

“No! I was having a nice time and you ruined it.”

“Stop it,” he replied. “I know you weren’t interested in him.”

“How do you know that?”

“You were only talking to him to see if I would notice.”

“You are so full of yourself.”

“You saw me talking to someone else, so you made a point of doing the same.” He wasn’t wrong, and you hated yourself for that fact.

“You’re mad,” you pointed out. “You’re pissed off because I was hitting on a random guy who wasn’t you.”

“I’m not mad, I just know what you were doing.”

“Then what? You expect me to think that you’re jealous?”

“I’m not jealous,” he replied defensively.

“Then stop acting like it.”

“You were the one who was jealous. That girl started talking to me and you immediately took off.”

“Forgive me if I didn’t want to sit there and watch you move on to your next lay after we had literally been together the night before. It wasn’t jealousy. It was just fucking awkward.”

“But, you and that guy-”

“So what? I’m not allowed to to talk to anyone else, but you are?”

“I just- I was just trying to help.”

“You’re so full of shit,” you laughed.

He tried to respond, but he caught himself; realizing that he didn’t have a good comeback.

“Were you watching me the entire time?” You asked. You didn’t want to let on that maybe he was right. Maybe you had hoped that he would notice what you were doing in there.

“No, but I saw you leave and maybe I glanced over your way a few times. I couldn’t stop looking when I saw how friendly he was getting.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being friendly.”

“I’m sorry, okay. I’m sorry that I was a nice guy just trying to help a lady out.”

“You’re a cock-block is what you are.”

“I’m a what?” He asked, looking stunned that you had used the term.

“You heard me. He was a nice guy. He was cute. And he was really damn close to getting lucky. You’re a cock-block.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been called that before.”

“Yeah, well I have never had one of my one-night stands interfere with me hitting on a guy before.”

“I find it really hard to believe that a girl like you is seriously out looking for a lay the day after she’s already been with someone.”

“I really hope that you’re not calling me a slut, because I could also point out that you’re very comfortable with the fact that you’re exactly the same.”

“I would never call you that. I just- don’t want to watch you try to make me jealous because you think you have to.”

“Oh, that is not what this is,” you replied.

“Good, because it wasn’t working.”

You laughed out loud at the look on his face; a bit of confusion mixed with shock.

“What are you doing?” You asked, referring to the entire scene that had just unfolded.

“Okay, here’s the thing,” he said as he moved closer to you. “Maybe I was a little jealous. Only because we’re still on this tour and I have to see you every day.”

“Oh? Am I inconveniencing you?”

“I just- maybe I don’t want to share you with anyone right now.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying… what if I’m not done with you yet.” He reached out and gripped onto your arm, his voice low as he spoke, his eyes darkening. Your breath caught as you suddenly became really turned on by how dominant he seemed right now.

“I think we both understand that this was supposed to be a one time thing,” you whispered.

“I know, but maybe we can take advantage of the situation that we’re in.”

“What’s that?”

“Neither of us have to go out every night trying to find someone to hook up with while we’re on this tour. We both already know that we have fun together.”

“That’s true,” you grinned. “But we also both understand that flings should just be flings.”

“It could be multiple flings.”

“What happens when you fall in love with me?” You asked teasingly. “Remember, I’m the kind of girl that men fall in love with.”

“I promise you, I don’t fall in love. Ever.”

You grinned at him, suddenly excited that the possibility to be with him again was on the table, even better that you were both on the same page about how this would go.

“Are you going to ask me to go home with you?” You asked

“Yeah,” he said simply as he reached for your hand. You gripped onto it and began to lead him away from the bar. Hopefully, the two of you could get back to the house and do what you needed to do before the other guys made it back.


	5. Part 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tour is coming to an end; which means their little fling is as well. When Reader returns home, she gets an unexpected phone call with an unexpected outcome.

You assumed that the next day would be the same. You and Rob had yourselves a fun night, both of you making it known to the other that it was only sex yet again. You didn’t expect to find him still in your bed though; yet, here he was.

You woke him, letting him know that he had stayed the night. He apologized as he opened his eyes to look at you, a grin plastered on his face as he watched you get out of bed.

“Fuck, you are so hot,” he mumbled sleepily as you stood there in the nude. You laughed as you searched for your clothes, quickly slipping them on before gathering his clothes and tossing them to him.

“You kicking me out?” He asked as he leaned up on his elbows, still watching you.

“It’s late and now we have to go upstairs. It’s not going to be very low-key when you leave.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“I  just- I don’t make a habit of men spending the night, especially when I’m in a house with five men, one of which who happens to be my best friend.”

“Oh, the shame,” he teased as he began to get dressed.

“I’m going to shower,” you said, “you just go upstairs first please.”

“You got it.”

You shook your head at him and chuckled to yourself, amused at how pleased he seemed to be with himself this morning.

You watched him as he pulled himself out of your bed and began to get dressed. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself as you watched him. Yes, this thing with him was strictly a tour fling. It wasn’t something that you expected to go anywhere else. But, you thought about how sweet he really was and how good he had been to you. It was shame that the two of you were far too much alike in that neither of you saw yourselves in actual relationships any time soon.

* * *

The day went similar to the days before. The six of you hung around the house lazily for most of it, only venturing out together for lunch in the afternoon. You didn’t know what to expect from Rob at this point, but he made a point of spending most of his time with you. He walked with you down the street as the two of you eventually trailed behind the others, engaging in conversation as he asked you more about yourself.

“Are you trying to get to know me?” You grinned, sort of surprised that he acted as if he wanted to hear more about what it was like growing up with Jason as a part of your life.

“I mostly want to get the dirt on Jason,” he smiled back. “If you have embarrassing stories about him, I could use it to my advantage later. He sometimes needs to be put in his place.”

“I don’t disagree with you on that,” you laughed. “But those stories are my leverage.”

“How do you deal with it? You know, having him act like your brother and butting in when you do things that maybe he doesn’t agree with?”

“Honestly, I think this is the first time he has ever wholeheartedly disagreed with a choice I’ve made,” you replied. “But, I also never made a point of letting him in on some of the things I do.”

“You have secrets that even Jason doesn’t know about?”

“A lot of secrets,” you replied slyly.

“Well, at least you have someone who cares about you enough to step in and say something when they’re worried.”

“Yeah, but his worries are misplaced. It’s sort of surprising that he talks so poorly about someone who is supposed to be his friend.”

“I bring it on myself,” he admitted.

“How?”

“Maybe I’m not very good at keeping things to myself like you are.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, maybe I am the kind of guy who brags about the women I’ve slept with.”

“So, you are a player,” you smiled. “You get women into bed with you, lead them on a little bit, and bail. Then, what? You go and brag about it?”

“Well, when you say it out loud it sounds worse.”

“I’m beginning to regret this weekend.”

“I don’t brag about you.”

“Now I’m insulted,” you joked.

“No, I mean, you’re great. I’ve had a good time. But, I don’t know, I like to keep you to myself.”

“So, there’s been no discussion of your latest conquest?” You asked, curious now as to what he might have been saying about you to the guys.

“No,” he said honestly. You looked at him as you kept your pace, his blue eyes meeting yours as crinkles formed in the corners of his eyes as he smiled at you. “It wouldn’t feel right to give up the details.”

“Oh well, yeah, because of Jason and all.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “because of Jason.

* * *

The six of you crammed into a booth of a restaurant that you had decided upon; ordering drinks and food.

“Last night of the tour,” Billy announced.

The rest of your chatter died down as you all let that sink in. It shouldn’t have been anything to be bummed about. These guys toured all the time. You however, had never been a part of something like this before. You were especially bummed. You sort of hated the idea of not waking up every morning and stumbling into the kitchen for coffee to be greeted by these guys and their smiles. You frowned at the idea that you wouldn’t get to share a stage with them and join them for a song here and there. Even more; whether you wanted to admit it to yourself or not, you were bummed that you wouldn’t have Rob around to flirt with you and to sneak around with.

“Don’t remind me,” you said out loud.

“You sad?” Jason asked.

“I’m a little sad. Hanging out with you guys has been a lot of fun.”

“Well, there are always other tours someday,” he replied.

“It’s okay, Y/N,” Rob said. You felt him place a hand on your thigh beneath the table, just out of view of the other guys as he ran his hand along your leg. “You’re in L.A. now, I’m sure we can make time to hang out.”

You smiled at him, not really sure what he was getting at. Generally, flings like this were short-lived. You had every intention of walking away from this when the tour was over, not really thinking that you’d ever really see him again. But, maybe there could be a little friendship brewing. It didn’t really seem like something that he would do in all honesty. You understood what kind of guy Rob was, and you accepted that. But, if the opportunity arose for the two of you to remain friends of some sort, you wanted to keep that option open.

Yes, he was a good lay. The two of you had amazing sex. But, you also knew that friends with benefits was not the smartest thing to do. Maybe, if he was willing, you could just be friends and leave the flings here in New York.

“I think that would be great,” you replied. “I’m happy that I made four new friends in this short time.”

* * *

The final performance went by a lot faster than you had hoped it would. You did your set and before you knew it, the guys were nearly done with theirs. You joined them one last time onstage for ‘Gone’, taking in the moment of singing alongside Rob and Jason again. All in all, everyone had a lot of fun and gave it their all.

When the show was done, the last autograph was signed, and the last fan selfie was taken; the six of you ended the night in your true fashion of taking over a table and filling it with drinks. It was the last night you would drink with these guys like this and you wanted to enjoy it. Just the thought of heading to the airport tomorrow made you feel a little sad. Some of you would be returning home, while Rob, Jason, and Billy would head to a convention somewhere else. You all wanted to savour the moment, so you sat around drinking and laughing.

You all returned to the house together that night; everyone pretty tired from the long weekend and knowing that sleep was needed when you all had flights the next day.

You said goodnight and retired to your room, wondering if perhaps you and Rob should have one final night together while you could. You decided against even bringing it up, knowing that he was probably done with you by this point.

After you had changed and climbed into bed, you were surprised to hear a text come through. You grabbed your phone and grinned to yourself when you saw Rob’s name pop up.

_Rob: You lonely?_

_Y/N: I am actually._

_Rob: I can keep you company._

_Y/N: I’d like that._

You saw that he had read the message, but he didn’t respond. You waited there, excited at the knowledge that he was on his way to see you. You didn’t want to drag this out in this way, but what could it hurt to be with him one more time? After tonight, you understood that you’d probably never see him again, even if he did talk about hanging out back home. You knew his type and you knew yourself well enough to know that you’d both move on from this quickly.

Rob entered the room, closing the door behind him quietly before making his way to you. He pulled back the covers and climbed into the bed next to you. There was no moment of small-talk, no real foreplay. He immediately leaned over you, letting his lips press against yours as he slipped his tongue into your mouth. You kissed him back heatedly, already feeling the heat begin grow at your core. You moaned into his mouth and his hand slipped beneath your shirt, cupping your breast as he began to kiss you harder.

You broke away from him so that you could sit up and discard your shirt. He followed your lead, removing his own clothing before taking care of your shorts for you. He kissed you again and moved to top you, working his way in between your legs. You gasped as you felt his erection brush up against you, smiling at him and waiting anxiously.

He held eye contact with you as he pushed into you, watching as you moaned and closed your eyes. You let the feeling of having him inside you take over, gasping and moaning as he began to thrust into you.

Neither of you said anything that night; you simply focused on being with each other one last time.

* * *

The next day, you busied yourself with packing. You had a flight to catch soon, and you had accidentally slept in. Although the basement bedroom provided a lot of privacy over the weekend, you now understood why the guys refer to it as ‘the dungeon’ and you were happy to no longer be confused as to whether it was night or day outside.

You were happy to be heading home, but at the same time, you were sad today. You would miss these guys, but mostly you admitted that you would miss Rob. Although you had woken up this morning to find that he had left at some point during the night, you didn’t hate him for it. In the end, it was easier this way. Neither of you were into forming attachments to people; and since you had realized that you might definitely be feeling somewhat attached to him, seeing that he had fucked you and left helped you push that sense of attachment back.

There was no way you would let yourself fall for a guy like him. Even if he knew how to talk to you and make you feel good; in the end, he was exactly what people said he was. At least he owned that.

You waited for your car and said your goodbyes to everyone. Jason made sure to hug you and make a big scene about you leaving. Unfortunately, he didn’t live in L.A., so it would probably be some time before you saw him again. You thanked him for always looking out for you, even if it was unwanted. You also promised that everything was fine. You weren’t hung up on the man he warned you about, and you definitely weren’t torn up over it not becoming more.

The other guys hugged you quickly and thanked you for coming out; and when you looked at Rob, he simply smiled and said goodbye to you. He made no movement to embrace you or anything, and you sort of liked that. It was the right way to part. So, you said goodbye as well and walked out the door.

* * *

You had only been back home for a couple of days when you got the phone call that you never expected. You were in the middle of strumming on your guitar, stopping to write notes as you went along. This was the first time in a while that you had some free time to actually work on songwriting.

When you did hear your phone buzz, you had to do a double take when you saw Rob’s name pop up on your screen. You certainly didn’t expect this. Not when he was on the other side of the country still doing some convention with some of the guys. You hesitantly answered anyway, wondering what it was that he could want from you after he had gotten all he wanted during the tour.

“Rob?” You asked when you answered. You took note of the obvious confusion in your voice, something that he also caught on to.

“What? It’s okay if I call you, right?”

“Well, yeah. I just- didn’t expect you to.”

“I know, we have a text message relationship.”

“No,” you replied. “We don’t have a relationship. I just assumed I’d never hear from you again.”

“I’m sorry, should I not call you?”

“What are you doing?” You asked, ignoring his question. You mostly wanted to know why he was calling you out of the blue like this.

“I’m talking to you on the phone,” he replied cheekily.

“Yeah, I know that. But, why are you talking to me on the phone?’

“I just wanted to talk. I missed talking to you.”

“Are you trying to get into my pants again?” You asked, not convinced that he was actually calling just to chat.

“I’m literally on the opposite side of the country,” he reminded you.

“You know what I mean.”

“A friend can’t call their friend just for the hell of it?”

“Well, no- but we’re not really friends.”

“Ouch.”

“Come on, we slept together. I think we both know how this goes.”

“I don’t know details about what Jason told you about me, but I’m not always an asshole.”

“Okay, I’m sorry,” you chuckled. ““So, you do often call your flings just to chat?”

“Well, no.”

“I don’t know if I should feel special or concerned.”

“Look,” he began, his voice quiet as he trailed off for a moment. “Maybe I kinda miss you.”

“Really? I find that surprising coming from you.”

“I’ve been thinking about you,” he said, voice softer now. It caught you off-guard the way he went from his usual confident self to someone who sounded a lot more hesitant about what he would say. “I can’t stop actually. It’s a little irritating. I figured hearing your voice would help, maybe it would help get you out of my mind.”

“Did it work?” You asked with a smile.

“We’ll find out I guess.”

“Look Rob, I understand what all of that was. I’m not an idiot. We had fun, but you don’t need to call or text just because you think you should. We can just leave it what it is.”

“What is it?”

“Just, two people having fun. I got what I wanted. You got what you wanted, right?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Come on…” You rolled your eyes, knowing that he couldn’t see the disbelief that you were feeling right now. Of course he was sweet talking you because he wanted you again. Honestly, the nice guy act was a little surprising.

“No really. I wanted to nail you, and I did. A few times actually…”

“Wow, you really know how to talk to a lady.”

“But, I don’t know… maybe I thought there was something else there. Maybe I didn’t get everything I wanted.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I wanted to be able to sleep with you and then just walk away, like I do. But, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to quit you.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“Do you believe in love and all that crap?” He asked casually.

You chuckled to yourself, “Yeah, Rob. I do. It’s not a foreign concept, you know.”

“I didn’t believe in it. I’ve never even liked anyone enough to try to get to know them.”

“What’s your point?”

“My point is; I can’t stop thinking about you. I’m here, working; and there’s a lot of single women wandering around. My first instinct is to try to get laid.”

“Oh god, you are really bad at this.”

“I know. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so blunt about that,” he mumbled. “Sorry. Anyway, that’s my first instinct. That’s what I do. Find the girl of the night and forget the last girl.”

“Okay, you really have a way with words,” you laughed.

“So, that’s my first instinct, right? But, I stop myself. This is the first time ever that I realize that I am actively stopping myself from acting on instinct.”

“And why are you doing that?”

“Because all I can think about is how upset you would be if you ever found out that I was with someone else.”

“You’re not my boyfriend. You can do what you want.”

“But, it would upset you, right?”

“No- I mean, maybe a little.,” you said honestly. “But it’s not like we’re seeing each other. We fucked a couple of times. I understand what it was, it’s not like I’m here expecting anything more than what it was.”

“But you’d still be pretty bummed, right?”

“Sure, Rob. I’d be super bummed. Only because this was the first time I actually got to know the guy I was hooking up with.”

“Yeah, we spent a lot of time outside of the bedroom together.”

“That’s not exactly how these things normally go.”

“You like me, right?” He asked.

“We’ve already established this.”

“I would be upset too, you know” he replied. “Currently, if you told me right now that you hooked up with someone else, I’d be hurt.”

“Well, then I better keep my mouth shut.”

He paused suddenly, quiet as he was probably considering this. You let out a laugh when you realized he wasn’t catching on to your joke.

“I’m kidding,” you promised. “Not that it matters, but I’m just fucking with you. The beauty of hookups is that you don’t have to ever know about what the other person is doing.”

“I know that, and it doesn’t matter. I shouldn’t be upset about it. I mean, you’re not mine.”

“Nope, just like you’re not mine.”

“Okay, but what if we were?” He asked.

“I don’t know what you’re getting at.”

“I don’t want to be with anyone else,” he said softly. “I wake up and I think of you. I’m here at work all day and all I can think about is what you’re doing and who you’re with and if maybe you’re thinking about me too. I go back to my room at night, alone, and I think about you. It’s making me really fucking crazy.”

“Thinking about me makes you crazy?”

“Yes. Mostly thinking about the fact that I’m here, not wanting anyone else, and you could very well be there, doing god knows what with someone else.”

“And, why are you thinking about this stuff?”

“I don’t know.” He trailed off briefly and you finally heard him let out a long sigh before speaking again. “I like you? I like you a lot.”

Your breath caught at his words. It was a little strange to hear him say that, especially since you had officially known each other for such a short time. The two of you had fooled around, with the understanding that that was all you wanted from each other. There was never the intention of forming any sort of relationship or strong feelings from what happened during that tour. You assumed you’d come home and never hear from him again unless it was work related. You assumed he’d move on to the next after he he was done with you.

“That’s not what this was supposed to be,” you replied finally.

“I know. I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.” He stuttered out more apologies, becoming more and more worked up as he went on. “I fucking fell for you and I shouldn’t have. I don’t do this. I’ve never fallen for anyone like this. I don’t even know how to stop feeling this way.”

“Rob, stop. It’s fine. I’m just- surprised, I guess. I never expected to have this conversation with you.”

“Can we just… I don’t know… see if maybe there’s something else here?” He breathed out. He paused, waiting for your reply; which came a little delayed as you tried to process what was happening.

“That’s a little hard to do when you’re across the country,” you responded.

“I’ll be home in a couple of days.”

“I mean, I’ve never considered turning a fling into something else.”

“Me neither,” he laughed. “Which is why I called. I figured if I met someone that made me reconsider how I live my life, maybe that’s someone that I should keep around.”

“What makes you think I’m willing to change who I am?”

“I think I’m just hoping.”

“I dunno. It might take a little more than a phone call and the you telling me that you actually like me to convince me to give up my ways,” you teased.

“Oh?”

“Maybe a date or two will help though.”


	6. Part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rob is trying to show Reader that he’s serious about what he said. His attempts are appreciated, but Reader isn’t so sure that his intentions are true.

The following couple of days went mostly the same. Rob called often; just to chat and point out the fact that he was still thinking about you. You could have done without the constant reminder that he was surrounded by attractive single women who were all about giving him the time of day, but even you understood that it was impossible for someone to change that much overnight.

He wasn’t very good at any of this, and he sometimes said things that got under your skin. Still, you gave him the benefit of the doubt. At least he was recognizing that he still had it in him to search for the next hook-up. You wondered if he could ever be the guy who gave all of that up.

By the time the convention ended, he had let you know that he was heading back home. He made a point of letting you know that he wanted to see you, so you made plans to spend time together when he got back.

You were in the middle of working on writing a song when he texted you to let you know that he was back in the city finally.

_Rob: I’m home. When can I see you?_

You had to laugh to yourself when you read it. You imagined him playing it cool as he typed it out, but it still came across as sort of desperate. 

You quickly sent him your address, hoping that he’d be okay with swinging by for now. You figured it might be better to see each other privately and maybe make plans for later.

He never responded. Instead, you went back to your music, hoping that you hadn’t scared him away just yet. About an hour later, you heard a faint knock at your front door.

You weren’t surprised to answer the door to see that it was him. No matter how weary you felt about this, you sort of knew he’d show up. The two of you had had too much fun in New York for him to turn down the possibility again.

He arrived at your front door not long after the short text exchange, and you opened it, trying to not seem too obvious that you were excited to see him.

“Hey you,” he said softly as he stepped forward and hugged you.

“Hey yourself.”

“I missed you. That’s really weird to say, but I actually missed you.”

“Wow, thanks?”

“I mean it. I don’t miss people. But I really missed you.”

He leaned in to kiss you. His lips pressed against yours gently. It wasn’t the same kind of kiss that you were used to with him. This was slow and deliberate. It was as if he were taking the moment to actually focus on the way he kissed you.

You hummed against his lips, content to have him near you again. You weren’t an idiot. You understood that this could very well be just another attempt for him to get laid. You had become something comfortable for him. His words as of late had been nice to hear, but even you understood that people didn’t change who they were that easily.

You stepped aside and let him in. You half expected for him to work his magic and take you right there. You wouldn’t have stopped him. Although a big part of you remained hesitant to believe that someone like him was interested in more than sex, you kept it in the back of your mind that he was playing you. That’s what he did. You were a bit confused as to why he seemed to be trying so hard, lying and saying that you were the only one he was interested in, when he knew that you had no problem with hooking up. There didn’t have to be attachments when it came to this, so why was he trying so hard?

“I was thinking we could have dinner,” he began as he stepped inside and took a look around your place.

“Like a date?”

“Well, you did say I’d have to date you a little bit.”

“Only if you were interested in more,” you reminded him.

“Then let’s go on a date,” he said with a grin.

“Really? You’re serious about that?”

“Yeah, what did you think I meant when I said I wanted to see if there was something else here between us?”

“I thought you meant that you were trying to sleep with me again.”

“Well, that’s just a plus to the whole thing. But, I am serious about finding out what we have here.”

“Alright,” you laughed. “We can go on a date.”

You quickly got yourself ready for the date, having thought the entire time that he didn’t really mean it. You assumed that he would show up, have his way with you, and count that as a romantic date. You wouldn’t have complained. Just being near him again got you excited, and you hoped that by the end of the date, he would do just what you thought he would do.

He drove the two of you from your place to a nice restaurant downtown.

You could have been mistaken, but you almost thought that he was nervous about it based on the way he sat there so quietly, his eyes shifting from the road to glance at you every now and then. You simply sat back and enjoyed it. You hadn’t seen this side of Rob the entire time on the tour, and you sort of liked that he seemed to have eyes for only you, at least for now.

While the two of you sat at tryout table, you still caught Rob staring at you occasionally. After drinks had arrived and meals had been ordered, he finally spoke, breaking the weird silence that the two of you had been sitting in since you left your house.

“You look nice.”

“Thank you,” you blushed.

“Do you know how badly I want to rip that dress off of you and have my way with you while everyone watches?”

Your smile faded quickly and you gave him an unimpressed stare. Although the sentiment was nice, and the idea of it was getting you hot and bothered, you had sort of hoped he’d keep playing the sweet gentleman who was trying to woo you. This was definitely not the normal way to woo a girl.

“You are so bad at this,” you replied. “When was the last time you actually dated someone?”

“It’s been a while.”

“I can tell. Look,” you breathed out. “If you’re doing this just because you want to get laid again, just tell me. Please don’t pretend that you want something more if you don’t. I can handle being a fuck buddy, but it’s not fair to lie about your intentions.”

“I’m not lying. I just- don’t know how to do this.” He looked away from you, focusing on the silverware sitting in front of him that he began to fidget with.

You smiled, realizing that he really was just nervous and clueless, so he was fishing for his old go-to lines of conversation that probably worked when he was just trying to take someone home.

“Generally, you take a girl to dinner and compliment her. I don’t mean tell her that you want to fuck her in a crowded restaurant either. Tell her if you think she looks nice. Ask her about her day, her interests, things that you genuinely want to know about her. Save the other talk for the bedroom.”

“I thought you didn’t date,” he said as he finally got the nerve to make eye-contact again.

“I usually don’t. But I have in the past. I also know what I would like to hear from a guy that I’m interested in that would make me want to date him.”

“I’m failing miserably, aren’t I?”

“You’re doing okay,” you replied as you reached across the table and placed your hand on his. “Just be yourself.”

“Myself is kind of an asshole.”

“No he’s not,” you smiled. “Not once have you ever been a jerk to me. If there is a jerk there somewhere, it’s an act.”

“What if it’s not an act?”

“I’m pretty sure it is. You just don’t want to admit it.”

“Okay,” he replied. “May I try again?”

“By all means.”

“How was your day?”

“It was good. I sat around and played some music. I’ve been writing some new stuff, so I focused on that. Generally it was uneventful. It’s a whole lot better now that you’re here though.”

“Tell me about the songs you’re writing.” He placed his elbows on the table, leaning his face against the back of his hands as he leaned in, focused on you and what you had to say. So, you obliged and talked about them. Not once did he ever lose interest as you rambled. He kept those blue eyes on you, smiling and nodding as you spoke.

Even when dinner had arrived, the conversation didn’t stop. He asked you a lot of questions; some of them strange and some of them really deep. You asked the things that you wanted to know and he talked probably more now than he had during your short five days together working.

During a lull in the discussion, you noticed the time. You had been sitting here for nearly three hours; eating, drinking, and talking without a pause.

“Is it really that late?” He asked.

“Look at that,” you smirked. “We had an actual conversation, and it was lovely. You’re not bad at this at all.”

“I guess it just takes the right person to show me that I’m not bad at dating after all.”

Rob was still a gentleman in some sense of the word. Sure, you were used to the Rob that you had met before; the one who used a whole lot of sweet talk to reel women in and eventually sleep with them. But, you knew he had a vague understanding of how this worked, he had just never done any of it before.

He walked around and opened the car door for you when you got back to your place. It was a sweet gesture and you were sort of surprised by it. Even men you had dated in the past never did the whole door holding thing when you first started dating.

He took your hand and helped you out of the car, not letting go as he walked you to your front door.

“That was actually tolerable,” Rob said as the two of you stood face-to-face on your doorstep.

“Wow, thanks,” you said as you rolled your eyes.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I really enjoy being around you. I just meant that the whole notion of dating was tolerable.”

“You have really never dated, have you?”

Rob shook his head in response and the two of you stood there in silence for a moment, just looking at each other.

“What now?” He asked finally. You had hoped that even he would have some clue as how to end a date properly, but given the way he beginning to grow anxious, you knew that you had to be the one to end it properly.

“Well, I suppose we say goodnight and you can kiss me if you want.”

You tried to lead him the best you could. Mostly you wanted him to figure it out though. You wanted to see what he would do if he didn’t have you to explain things to him too much.

He closed the space between you until his body was nearly pressed against yours. You gasped as he did so, still always excited to have him near you. He reached a hand up and gently caressed your face, his eyes not breaking contact with yours as he smiled at you.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said softly. “You’re funny, you’re smart, you’re talented as hell… and so fucking perfect.”

His last words came out almost breathlessly and you noticed that you were holding your own breath as he spoke. You had never had a man tell you those things, not like this anyway. You leaned into his touch and smiled. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to date a guy like him after all.

He did kiss you. Even though you wondered if he would, based on how he seemed so insistent to date you properly and not skip any steps. The two of you had already gone far down that road, so you knew that he knew that it didn’t matter. Neither of you could possibly rush into something together when you had started this whole thing the way you did in New York. Now, it was as if you were simply rewinding and working on the stuff you skipped. You already knew that you were good together in a physical way, the scary part was working on finding out if you were good together in other facets of a relationship.

You kissed him back, allowing the kiss to become heated. He slipped his tongue into your mouth and you moaned against him. Your hands were in his hair, grasping and tugging as his hands stroked up and down your back, pulling you into him as if there were any more space left between you.

You began to feel that familiar heat grown within you, and you wanted him. You appreciated that he wanted to take things slow somewhat and that he wanted to make a real effort at getting to know you and date you, but you figured you could skip ahead a bit. You knew how good he made you feel. You knew how good you were together. Maybe it was okay to allow yourselves to feel good even if the getting to know each other part was only in the beginning stages.

You broke away from him long enough to get your front door open and to pull him inside with you before closing the door behind you.

You were on him in an instant; kissing him and fumbling with his clothes. It had been far too long since you had been together, and you only wanted to be with him again. The fact that you had had such a nice time with him tonight only made you want him more.

Just as you were undoing his belt, watching him slyly to hint to him that you wanted him, he stopped you. He placed a hand over yours, ceasing your movements and you stared at him in confusion.

“I thought we were taking things slow,” he breathed out.

“We did,” you replied. “We had a nice dinner, great conversation… now it’s the end of the night when we sleep together.”

“We had one date,” he chuckled.

“So, you’re saying you don’t want to get laid?” You asked, quirking an eyebrow at him, not really believing that he of all people was turning this down.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Okay then,” you said as you freed your hands from his, focusing on his jeans again. He grabbed your hands again, stopping you and you looked at him, even more confused now.

“I really don’t want to fuck things up with you,” he said softly. “I have a habit of fucking things up.”

“Trust me, you’re not fucking anything up. I’ve been enjoying your attempts as dating me. You’re doing quite well. But I want this. I want you.”

You hoped your words gave him some sort of comfort, mostly you hoped that they convinced him that this was okay.

“I should probably take you to the bedroom, huh?” He replied. Now, he was letting his hands stroke your body, working beneath your shirt until the contact of his skin on yours was almost too much to handle.

“I think that would be wise.”

* * *

Afterwards, the two of you lay in bed together. You were both breathing heavily, trying to calm yourselves. Wrapped up in sweat-soaked sheets, he held you, caressing your skin still as you rested your head against his chest.

You turned your face up to look at him, your chin resting against him as his chest rose and fell with each heavy breath. You couldn’t get over the look of what seemed like regret on his face. That wasn’t what you wanted. You didn’t want to be the one to stay in this role of keeping things between you strictly sex, and you worried that maybe you had been in the wrong.

You placed a gentle kiss to his chest and looked back up at him. Now, he glanced down at you, smiling.

“Amazing as always,” he muttered.

“What can I say?” You smiled. “We’re good together.”

“You know, I was trying so hard to make this an actual relationship,” he began. “And you’re the one who keeps reverting back to the whole one-night stand thing. It’s interesting.”

“I hardly call this a one-night stand,” you laughed.

“Fair enough. Still, I really was trying to date you. Like I’m supposed to if I want to be able to keep you.”

You let his words sink in, smiling as he said it.

“Who says you can’t keep me?”

“I don’t know, maybe the girl that I just fucked who is obviously still thinking of this whole thing as strictly a physical relationship.”

“What do you mean? I don’t think of it as just that.”

“Is this how people really date?”

“Maybe not,” you replied. “But, you and I… we skipped the usual dating ritual when we met. It started as this. Just because we’re getting to know each other and trying to see if this could be more, why can’t we also make each other feel good?”

“And that’s okay with you?” He asked. He made eye contact again, questioning you with a look. “It’s okay that we just keep sleeping together while we’re trying to figure out if there’s more here?”

“Rob, I like you. I knew I was in trouble the moment I met you at that show. I’m good at playing it cool, saying that I’m only looking for something physical. And, maybe it was just that at first; but you have to know that I fell for you.”

You paused. You hadn’t said any of this out loud before. Hell, you had convinced yourself otherwise during that tour when you and Rob were strictly sleeping together. You were good at hiding it when you might have fallen for someone, but he made you want to not hide it anymore.

“Really?” He replied. “You wanted more during all of that?”

“I may not be very good at the fling thing,” you admitted. “But, I’m pretty good at pretending. I never said that I was into you because I thought that you would never feel the same way. I liked what we had, and I wasn’t going to fuck that up. Not when we were having so much fun.”

“You know, I knew right away that you would be trouble. After that first night together, I panicked a little. I have never felt for someone the way that I felt about you. The way that I still feel about you.”

“How do you feel about me?”

“I feel like I want to know you. I want to wake up next to you every day and I want to kiss those lips every morning when I wake up and every night before I go to bed. I want to call you mine, and honestly, that scares the shit out of me.”

You sensed his nervousness again. His hand was tracing along your back as you watched him. Everything that he said was not what you expected from him, and that made you adore him all the more. He was finally letting his guard down with you, and you appreciated that.

“I’m a little scared too,” you said, trying to ease his mind about the whole thing. “I’m afraid that this is all an act. I’m afraid that I stopped myself from falling for you, and now you’re here making me feel those feelings again. I’m worried that you’re just doing it to ensure that you have someone to go to when you need to get laid.”

“I guess we both have a lot of fears that maybe we should talk about,” he replied.

“Tomorrow,” you insisted. “Right now, I just want to enjoy being with you like this again.”

“Can I stay?” His words came abruptly and they startled you. You hadn’t really expected his to want to stay.

“You didn’t want to stay all those other times. You’re really good at sneaking out on the middle of the night.”

“I was just keeping up appearances. I always wanted to stay.”

“You can stay,” you replied. “It’ll be interesting to see if you’ll actually stick around until morning.”

“Is that a challenge,” he chuckled.

“Maybe.”

“You’re on.”

* * *

You woke up the following morning, sort of surprised that you were still wrapped up in Rob’s arms. He slept quietly next to you and you smiled at him, snuggling closer to his body as you tried not to wake him. Maybe you had your doubts, but it seemed as if he really were at least trying to make this a real relationship.

Your movements stirred him though, and he woke up, turning his body toward you as he pulled you close to him.

“Good morning,” you whispered as you pressed your lips against his for a slow kiss.

“Hmm,” he hummed. He gave you a sleepy smile and kissed you again. “It is a good morning, isn’t it?”

“I thought for sure I’d wake up alone,” you said.

“I’m not sure if I should feel offended by that,” he replied. “But I’m glad I proved you wrong.”

“You want coffee?”

“I really just want to stay here like this with you.”

He moved closer to you, placing gentle kisses along your shoulders and neck. Already, you were getting turned on by him. You had to admit, you were enjoying this new Rob.

“All day?” You asked.

“All day,” he replied.

“I told you not to fall in love with me.” Your words were barely a whisper. You didn’t think you had said them out loud, and you really didn’t want to bring the L word into this right now. You felt yourself blush when you realized that he certainly had heard and you waited for him to freak out. Surely, it was too soon to even bring that into this. What had been a joke during your week in New York, might very well be the one thing to scare him off.

He continued to praise your skin with his lips though, your words not even appearing to have the impact that you expected.

“What can I say?” he replied, “I never do what I’m told.”

You pulled back to look him in the eyes, wondering why the L word hadn’t even affected him the way you expected it to. You must have looked pretty confused, because he looked confused in turn.

“What?” He asked.

“I seriously just told you not to fall in love with me, and your response was a lot more calm than expected.”

He smiled and shrugged sheepishly at you.

“I’m sorry. But, it’s too late for that.”

“Too late for what?”

“You told me not to fall in love with you when we started this whole thing on the tour,” he explained. “It was a joke then, and I actually welcomed the challenge. But I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t.”

“Didn’t what?” You asked nervously.

“That I didn’t fall in love with you,” he replied. “I told you that you were the kind of girl that men fall in love with… I was right.”

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I did fall in love with you.”

You froze, completely caught off guard that he was saying this to you right now. Sure, you welcomed the fact that he wanted to get to know you better and spend time with you. You assumed that the two of you could get along really well and possibly make this an actual relationship. You just didn’t expect for your shared joke to actually mean something. You didn’t expect him to ever admit this to you any time soon.

“You okay?” He asked after he took in the way you froze and your stunned silence.

“Y-yeah, I’m okay,” you replied. “Just- sort of surprised.”

“Is it okay if I tell you that?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “It’s okay Rob. It’s okay if you mean it.”

He grinned at you and kissed you again. You lost yourself in him for a moment, taking in how good it felt just to be with him and to hear him say these things to you. At this point, you still had some doubts. Maybe you should be the one to slow this down before anyone had a chance of getting hurt. You didn’t want to though. You wanted for this to be real, even if just for a moment.

You still had questions. You had things going through your mind that had been there from the beginning. You never discussed them because you had always feared the answers. Right now though, you figured it would be a good time to get them out there. At least the two of you were sharing something more than what this had been before.

“Can I ask you something?” You asked finally when the kiss ended.

“Ask away,” he said with a smile.

“Why me?”

He turned to look at you, his eyes narrowed in confusion by your question. Maybe it had been too blunt and maybe he wouldn’t quite understand what you meant.

“I just- you’ve met a lot of other woman,” you added. “You’ve been with a lot of other women. You’ve never wanted to do this- relationship thing with any of them, right?”

“Never.”

“Why me then? Why not someone else?”

“Well, that’s easy,” he replied with a grin. “I never wanted anyone else before because- they ain’t you.”


End file.
